Elyria, OH Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Chapter 747 of the Elyria Codified Ordinances makes the Board of Health the licensing authority for tattooing and body piercing. Section 747.02(a) bars performing a tattooing or body piercing procedure without a valid and current license issued by the Board of Health, with an exception for ear piercing on the external ear with an ear piercing gun. Section 747.02(b) bars operating a business that offers these services unless the Board of Health has approved it under Ohio R.C. 3730.03. Procedures and instruments must meet the Board of Health's safety and sanitation standards, and an ear piercing gun cannot be used on any part of the body except the external ear.

For anyone under eighteen, § 747.02(f) and (g) require consent: the parent, guardian or custodian must appear in person at the business when the procedure is performed and sign a document that explains how it will be done and how to care for the area afterward. Section 747.11 bars persons under eighteen from the premises as tattooist, employee or patron except under that consent rule.

An establishment applies under oath to the Board of Health on a form from the City's Department of Health and pays a non-refundable annual fee set by the Board of Health; the code itself prints no dollar amount (§ 747.03). Copies go within five days to the Building Department and the Fire Division, which have thirty days to inspect. The Board must act within ninety days after the Department of Health accepts the application, and a license ends one year after issuance (§ 747.05). Additional locations need a certificate and a per-location fee set by the Board (§ 747.06).

Operating rules follow. The license and a portrait photograph at least two inches by two inches are posted in the work area (§ 747.07), price rates are posted in the reception area (§ 747.10), alcoholic beverages and nonprescription controlled substances are banned on the premises (§ 747.12), no services are provided between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. (§ 747.13), and inspectors get access between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (§ 747.14).