Freehold Township, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Chapter 370, adopted by the Township Committee in 2025 by Ord. No. C. ) within the Township and layers its own licensing scheme on top. 'Body art' covers body piercing, tattooing and permanent cosmetics but not ear piercing, which is separately defined and licensed as its own category. Operating either type of establishment without a current Health Department license is unlawful, and an establishment operating on an expired license is treated as unlicensed. Licenses are non-transferable: any change of ownership triggers a fresh application and fee.

All licenses run on a calendar year, expiring December 31, with renewal applications due before expiration. The Board of Health set the fee schedule directly in the chapter: a $500 fee for an initial license (either category), a $300 annual renewal for a body art establishment, and a $250 annual renewal for an ear-piercing establishment, with renewal paperwork due to the Health Department no later than 30 days before the calendar year ends. Before any license issues or renews, the Health Officer or an authorized representative must inspect the establishment, and a license cannot issue if the inspection turns up any violation of the chapter or the state Sanitary Code; renewal inspections must occur within 90 days of expiration.

An establishment not served by an NJDEP-approved public water supply must test its water quarterly for total coliform bacteria through a New Jersey-licensed laboratory and report results to the Health Department. Violations run through the Township's general Board of Health penalty provision in Chapter 361, Article I.