High Point, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted district
- GB only
- Overlay allowed
- Southwest Mill Overlay
- Elsewhere
- Prohibited by omission
- Governing table
- Table 4.1.9
Summary
High Point's Development Ordinance classifies tattoo and body-piercing shops as a Personal Service use type and confines them by right to the General Business (GB) zoning district and the Southwest Mill Overlay, per Table 4.1.9's Principal Use Table.
Tattoo/body piercing establishment: An establishment whose principal business activity is the inserting of permanent markings or coloration, or the producing of scars, upon or under human skin or the creation of an opening in the body of a person so as to create a permanent hole for the purpose of inserting jewelry or other decoration.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 9 | Development Ordinance: Supplement 14).
Full Breakdown
Table 4.1.9, Principal Use Table, lists "Tattoo/body piercing" as permitted only in the GB (General Business) district and within the Southwest Mill Overlay's Town Center and Transitional Industrial subdistricts; a blank cell in every other district means the use is prohibited there under § 4.1.5. Section 4.2.6.F.2(c) defines the use type broadly as any establishment whose principal activity is inserting permanent markings, coloration, scars, or piercings under the skin. Neither the Development Ordinance nor the general Code of Ordinances sets out a separate City licensing or health-inspection scheme for these shops.
Violations & Fines
Opening or operating a tattoo or body-piercing studio outside the GB district or the Southwest Mill Overlay is an unpermitted use under § 4.1.5, subjecting the operator to a zoning stop-work order, denial of occupancy, or civil penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a tattoo studio anywhere in High Point?
Does the City separately license tattoo artists or shops?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in High Point
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