Grand Forks, ND Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Section 13-1002 requires a body art establishment license before any operator may establish, operate, conduct, maintain or manage a place where body art, defined to include tattooing, cosmetic tattooing, body piercing, microblading, branding and scarification, is practiced, and a separate body art operator license for the individual performing the work. Temporary establishments, such as a mobile unit at an event running 14 days or fewer, need their own temporary license under the same section. Section 13-1003 routes the license application through the city auditor, subject to approval by the city health officer, and confines the licensee to the location named in the application.

Section 13-1005 sets license terms at one year, renewed each January 1, subject to the health officer's approval of renewal. Section 13-1009 gives the health officer, chief of police, or their agents standing authority to inspect licensed premises, and section 13-1010 lets the city council condition, suspend or revoke a license for false statements, violations, or unsanitary conditions, with an emergency suspension power for imminent public harm. Section 13-1011 separately bars performing body art on a minor without the parent or guardian's written consent and presence, and requires operators themselves to be at least 18.