Gulfport, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited use
- Tattoo/body piercing establishments barred in WROD
- Overlay area
- RLM parcels along Beach Boulevard corridor
- Also barred there
- Bars, gun shops, pawn shops, raves, dance clubs
- Citywide rule
- No specific tattoo zoning rule found outside WROD
- Citation
- Code of Ordinances § 22-5.08(b)(8)e
Summary
Gulfport's zoning code does not license tattoo or body piercing shops directly, but it names them outright as a prohibited use within the Waterfront Redevelopment Overlay District, the corridor along Beach Boulevard, under Code of Ordinances § 22-5.08(b)(8)e. No other tattoo-specific zoning restriction appears elsewhere in the reviewed code.
e.Prohibited uses. The uses listed below are prohibited from locating in the WROD.1.Restaurants.2.Bars, pubs and other businesses reliant on the sale of alcoholic beverages.3.Raves, dance clubs and other like assembly uses.4.Tattoo/body piercing establishments.5.Lingerie shops in conjunction with modeling services.6.Medical offices.7.Medical clinics.8.Dental services.9.Gun shops.10.Pawn shops.11.Other uses determined by staff to not be consistent with the purpose of the WROD, to not be compatible with the residential area, or which generate excessive traffic in the neighborhood.
Full Breakdown
08(b)(8)e lists eleven categories of prohibited uses within the Waterfront Redevelopment Overlay District (WROD), and 'tattoo/body piercing establishments' is fourth on that list, alongside restaurants, bars reliant on alcohol sales, raves and dance clubs, lingerie shops tied to modeling services, medical offices and clinics, dental services, gun shops and pawn shops. 08(b)(8)c, and the overlay's purpose section explains the restriction: conversions in this corridor must retain a single-family residential appearance and stay compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. 02 lists barbershops, beauty salons, tailors and pet groomers but does not mention tattoo or body art establishments, so this code does not specify which commercial districts, if any, classify and permit a tattoo shop elsewhere in the city. Body art licensing itself runs through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation under state law, not a Gulfport occupational license.
Violations & Fines
Opening a tattoo or body piercing establishment inside the WROD violates § 22-5.08(b)(8)e's prohibited use list. That is enforceable through the special master civil code enforcement process in §§ 12-15 through 12-23 and the city's general penalty in § 1-6, up to a $500 fine or 60 days imprisonment, with each day of continued operation treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a tattoo shop on Beach Boulevard in Gulfport?
Does Gulfport ban tattoo shops citywide?
Who licenses a tattoo artist in Gulfport?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gulfport
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Tattoo & Body Modification in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Pinellas County handle tattoo & body modification.