Effingham County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Local tattoo ordinance
- Repealed by Ord. No. 2024-491, Oct. 15, 2024
- Governing standard
- Ga. Dept. of Human Resources Ch. 511-3-8, Body Art
- Standard effective date
- October 6, 2023
- Enforcing officer
- County health officer
- Citation authority
- O.C.G.A. § 15-10-63, magistrate court
- Penalty basis
- General penalty, Sec. 1-19, per-day offense
Summary
Effingham County repealed its own local tattooing and body-piercing ordinances by Ord. No. 2024-491 in October 2024 and instead regulates body art solely by adopting the state's Chapter 511-3-8, Body Art rule by reference under Sec. 38-32. Violations are cited into magistrate court by the county health officer under Sec. 38-33 and punished under the county's general penalty in Sec. 38-34, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Editor's note— Ord. No. ... 2024-491, adopted Oct. 15, 2024, repealed § 38-1, which pertained to tattooing and derived from Ord. adopted July 20, 1999 (1), §§ 1—3. ... Editor's note— Ord. No. 2024-491, adopted Oct. 15, 2024, repealed § 38-2, which pertained to body piercing and derived from Ord. adopted July 20, 1999 (2), §§ 1—11. ... The following rules and regulations of the state department of human resources are hereby adopted and on file in the office of the county clerk: ... (4)Chapter 511-3-8, Body Art, effective October 6, 2023. ... Any person violating the provisions of this article may be punished as provided in section 1-19. Separate offenses shall be deemed to be committed on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.
Full Breakdown
Until October 2024, Sections 38-1 and 38-2 of the county code separately regulated tattooing and body piercing in unincorporated Effingham County. Ord. No. 2024-491, adopted October 15, 2024, repealed both sections outright, and the county now folds body art regulation into Article II of Chapter 38, which adopts a series of Georgia Department of Human Resources rules by reference and keeps a copy on file with the county clerk. Sec. 38-32 lists Chapter 511-3-8, Body Art, effective October 6, 2023, alongside the state's food service, tourist court and on-site sewage rules, meaning a tattoo or body-piercing establishment operating in the unincorporated county must meet the standards set in that state rule rather than a separate county code.
Enforcement runs through the county health officer: Sec. 38-33 lets the health officer or a designee issue a citation, under O.C.G.A. § 15-10-63, that requires the operator to appear before the magistrate court judge on a set date. Sec. 38-34 applies the article's general penalty, punished as provided in Sec. 1-19, with each day a violation occurs or continues counted as a separate offense, and it lets the county pursue an injunction in superior court to abate a continuing violation as a nuisance in addition to any fine.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattoo or body-art establishment out of compliance with the adopted Chapter 511-3-8 Body Art rule draws a citation from the county health officer under Sec. 38-33, with the operator required to appear before the magistrate court. Sec. 38-34 punishes the violation under the county's general penalty and treats each day of continuing noncompliance as a separate offense, and the county can also seek an injunction to abate it as a continuing nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Effingham County have its own tattoo licensing ordinance?
What standard does a tattoo shop in unincorporated Effingham County have to follow?
Who enforces the body art rule and what happens if I violate it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Effingham County
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