Huntington Beach, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- HBMC Chapter 8.72
- License required
- City business license for owners and contractors
- Minimum age to tattoo
- 18, no exception for parental consent
- Health certificate
- Annual doctor's certificate for practitioners
- Record retention
- 3 years of procedure and consent records
- Inspections
- OC Health Care Agency, anytime during business hours
Summary
Any tattoo, body piercing or permanent cosmetics establishment in Huntington Beach must hold a City business license and operate only in a zoning district approved for that use under HBMC Chapter 8.72. Practitioners need annual health certificates, sterilize equipment, and cannot work on anyone under 18, and violations of the chapter are misdemeanors under Section 8.72.170.
§ 8.72.030. License Required. All owners of a tattoo and/or body piercing establishment, or those establishments providing tattoo and/or body piercing, must obtain a business license from the City of Huntington Beach. All independent contractors, or any person providing any service relating to tattoo and/or body piercing who is not an employee must obtain a business license from the City of Huntington Beach... § 8.72.170. Penalties. Each of the following acts or omissions shall constitute a misdemeanor. A. Any performance of a tattooing or body piercing operation by an operator in violation of any requirement of prohibition imposed in this article. B. Any failure by a proprietor to maintain a tattooing or body piercing establishment in conformity with the requirements of this article. For purposes of this subsection, each day upon which such a failure to conform occurs shall constitute a separate violation.
Full Breakdown
72 of the Huntington Beach Municipal Code regulates tattoo, body piercing and permanent cosmetics establishments. 030 requires every owner, and every independent contractor who is not an employee, to hold a City business license. 050 requires an annual doctor's certificate confirming the practitioner is free of communicable disease such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, tuberculosis or infectious mononucleosis; anyone with open sores, rashes or lesions, or who is impaired by alcohol or drugs, is barred from working. 040. 070 requires hot and cold running water, hand sinks, adequate lighting and ventilation, smooth washable surfaces, and disposal of needles and razors in a SHARPS container; carpeting, sleeping use, and animals other than guide dogs are prohibited.
080 requires an autoclave and sterilization of every instrument used on a patron. 120 bars nipple and genital piercing on minors even with parental consent, while other body piercing on a minor requires the parent or guardian's notarized authorization and both parties' photo ID. 150.
Violations & Fines
Section 8.72.170 makes any operator's violation of the chapter's requirements, or any proprietor's failure to keep the establishment in conformity with Chapter 8.72, a misdemeanor, and each day of a maintenance violation counts as a separate offense. Section 8.72.160 also treats unlicensed or unsanitary operation as an immediate danger to public health that the City can enjoin in court, in addition to any criminal penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Huntington Beach tattoo shops need a city license?
Can a minor get a tattoo in Huntington Beach with parental consent?
What health and sanitation rules must a shop follow?
What happens if a shop operates without a license or violates the sanitation rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Huntington Beach
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