Hemet, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 90-893, Commercial Zones Land Use Matrix
- Permitted zones
- C-2 general commercial, C-M commercial manufacturing only
- Barred zones
- O-P office-professional and C-1 neighborhood commercial
- Permit required
- Conditional use permit under § 90-42(b)
- Streamlined CUP
- Unavailable; § 90-42.1(b)(4) names tattoo/piercing shops
- Business license
- Required under chapter 18 per § 90-893(1)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor: up to $500 fine, 6 months jail (§ 90-2(f))
Summary
Tattoo and body piercing shops are conditionally permitted only in Hemet's C-2 general commercial and C-M commercial manufacturing zones, and are flatly not permitted in the O-P office-professional or C-1 neighborhood commercial zones, under City Code § 90-893's Commercial Zones Land Use Matrix. Every shop needs a conditional use permit plus a city business license under chapter 18, and the code specifically excludes tattoo/piercing shops from the reduced-fee streamlined CUP track available to lower-impact businesses.
Sec. 90-893. - Permitted uses. In the OP, C-1, C-2, and C-M zones, permitted and conditionally permitted uses shall be as listed within the "land use matrix." (1)Whenever a business is conducted, a city business license is required pursuant to chapter 18...(3)All other uses not specifically listed in the matrix shall be interpreted as not permitted unless a similar use determination is made by the director pursuant to section 90-3...COMMERCIAL ZONES LAND USE MATRIX P=Permitted Use A=Administratively Permitted Use C=Conditionally Permitted Use T=Temporary Use Permit X=Not Permitted...LAND USE ZONE O-P C-1 C-2 C-M...16. Tattoo, body piercing X X C C
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Hemet's Commercial Zones Land Use Matrix at City Code § 90-893 lists "Tattoo, body piercing" as item 16 under Service Uses, marked X (not permitted) in the O-P office-professional and C-1 neighborhood commercial zones and C (conditionally permitted) in the C-2 general commercial and C-M commercial manufacturing zones. 1(a). 1(b)(4) blocks the reduced-fee streamlined CUP path for this use by name, listing a "tattoo/piercing shop" alongside an adult business, alcohol sales, live entertainment, pawn shop, smoke shop or massage parlor as uses "determined to have a community sensitivity," which must go through the full CUP review rather than the shortened process available to lower-impact tenants.
Section 90-893(1) separately requires a city business license under chapter 18 "whenever a business is conducted," regardless of the CUP. If a tattoo or piercing use were ever proposed somewhere the matrix doesn't reach, § 90-893(3) defaults to treating it as not permitted unless the director makes a formal similar-use determination under § 90-3(c), which requires findings that the use meets the zone's objectives, is compatible with permitted uses, and is similar to a listed use, followed by planning commission and city council notification and a zoning ordinance amendment to formalize it.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattoo or piercing shop without the required CUP, or outside the C-2/C-M zones, violates chapter 90 and is a misdemeanor under § 90-2(f), punishable by a fine of not more than $500.00 and imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. Section 90-2(g) separately declares the unlawful use a public nuisance that the city attorney may abate, remove or enjoin, in addition to any revocation of the CUP or business license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a tattoo shop anywhere in Hemet?
Does Hemet's reduced-fee streamlined CUP apply to tattoo shops?
What happens if a tattoo shop operates without a CUP?
Does a tattoo shop still need a business license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hemet
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