Framingham, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Framingham City Code § 446-4 sets the licensing backbone for the body art trade: a firm or company cannot allow piercing or tattooing on its premises without first obtaining a body piercing establishment permit and/or tattooing establishment permit from the Board of Health, and no individual may perform the work anywhere in the City without their own Board of Health registration. To get registered, § 446-4C requires studio managers, piercers and tattoo artists to show they meet the training standards in § 446-5, which include classroom CPR and OSHA bloodborne-pathogen training, a basic anatomy and physiology course passed with a C or better, a negative TB test within 60 days of applying, and at least one year of apprenticeship under a trained artist.

Establishments must file an infection-control exposure plan meeting OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.1030, and § 446-4F requires any injury, infection or complication report be forwarded to the Board of Health within five working days, naming the client, the establishment and the nature of the injury. Permits run for no more than one year from issuance and both permits and registrations must be conspicuously posted at the shop under § 446-4G and H. Facilities themselves must comply with existing zoning under § 446-6A and carry a working steam autoclave that is spore-tested monthly by an independent lab, with records kept on-site for Board of Health inspection.