Hudson, NH Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Chapter 304 (adopted by the Board of Selectmen, February 28, 1995 as Ordinance No. O95-03A) sits under the Town's Board of Health, with the Health Officer serving as its secretary and executive officer alongside the Board of Selectmen (§ 304-2). Section 304-3 sets the chapter's hard prohibitions: tattooing anyone under age 18 is banned outright as endangering the welfare of a minor under RSA 639:3 II, and parental consent doesn't excuse it; branding and permanent makeup are both prohibited townwide unless performed by a New Hampshire-licensed physician; and body piercing below the waist is likewise physician-only, while piercing any site but the ears on a minor requires a parent or guardian to sign a permission form on-site at the time of piercing.

Novelty and jewelry stores doing ear piercing with a piercing gun are exempted if they follow OSHA sanitation practices, but they can't perform other body piercings without a full license (§ 304-4). Every establishment and every artist needs its own license from the Health Officer (§ 304-5), site plan approval from the Planning Department or Planning Board, a current health certificate, and, for artists, a state license under RSA 314-A. Mobile tattoo and mobile body-piercing businesses are banned outright in Hudson. Licenses expire March 31 each year: an establishment license costs $50 per year and an artist license costs $100 per year (§ 304-6), and the Health Officer inspects licensed establishments on a recurring basis, with authority to revoke a license for noncompliance (§ 304-7).