DuPage County, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning status
- Conditional use in B-1 and B-2 districts
- Approval process
- Public hearing under Section 37-1413
- Parking requirement
- 4 spaces per 1,000 sq ft (Category 6-2)
- Applies to
- Unincorporated DuPage County only
- Violation fine
- $100 to $500 per week (§ 37-1417)
Summary
Tattoo parlors need a conditional-use permit to operate in unincorporated DuPage County. Section 37-801.2 and Section 37-802.2 both classify them as conditional, not permitted, uses in the B-1 and B-2 business districts, so a public hearing under Section 37-1413 is required, and any shop that opens must also meet a four-space-per-1,000-square-foot parking standard.
37-801.2: - CONDITIONAL USES. The following conditional uses require prior approval after a public hearing in accordance with the requirements of Section 37-1413 of this chapter: ... Sale of firearms and ammunition. Self-storage facility. Tattoo parlors. ... 37-802.2: - CONDITIONAL USES. The following conditional uses require prior approval after a public hearing in accordance with the requirements Section 37-1413 of this chapter: ... Theaters, automobile drive-in. Tattoo parlors. ... 37-1203: SCHEDULE OF OFF-STREET PARKING REQUIREMENTS. PARKING CATEGORY NUMBER 6 - BUSINESS USES. RETAIL. 6-2 Antique Shops ... Tattoo Parlors ... Wearing Apparel Shops Four (4) parking spaces per each 1,000 square feet of gross floor area. ... 37-1417: VIOLATION PENALTIES: Any person who violates any provision of this Code...shall be guilty of an offense punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00). Each week that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 14 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
DuPage County's zoning ordinance places tattoo parlors on the conditional-use list, not the permitted-use list, in both of its general commercial districts. 2 imposes the identical requirement in the B-2 General Business District. That hearing runs through the Zoning Board of Appeals, which forwards its findings and a recommendation to the County Development Committee and then the County Board for final action, so a shop cannot simply pull a permit over the counter. Once approved, a tattoo parlor falls into Parking Category 6-2 of the off-street parking schedule at Section 37-1203, the same retail category as antique shops and pawnshops, which requires four parking spaces for every 1,000 square feet of gross floor area.
Because this ordinance governs only unincorporated DuPage County, a shop proposing to locate inside Naperville, Wheaton, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Woodridge, Carol Stream or Bolingbrook's incorporated areas answers to that city's own zoning code instead. Operating without the conditional-use approval, or in a district where tattoo parlors are not listed at all, is enforced as a general zoning violation under Section 37-1417.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattoo parlor without the required conditional-use approval, or outside a district where it is listed at all, is enforced under Section 37-1417 of the DuPage County Zoning Ordinance. Conviction carries a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500, with each week of continued violation counted as a separate offense. The county's legal counsel can also seek a court order to stop the unapproved use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a tattoo shop by right in unincorporated DuPage County?
How much parking does a DuPage County tattoo parlor need?
What is the approval process for a conditional use like a tattoo parlor?
Does this apply to a shop inside Naperville or another DuPage city?
What happens if a tattoo parlor operates without the conditional-use approval?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in DuPage County
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