Tattoo studios in Knoxville need a Tennessee Department of Health body art studio license, individual artist licenses, and a Knoxville business license through Chapter 8.
Tennessee regulates body art studios under TCA 62-38 and Department of Health rules covering tattoos, piercings, branding, and scarification. Studios need annual state licensing with bloodborne pathogens training, autoclave sterilization, and inspections through the Knox County Health Department, which acts as the local enforcement agent. Artists must be 18, hold individual operator licenses, and tattoo customers under 18 only with notarized parental consent for cover-ups of prior tattoos. Knoxville enforces Recode zoning placing body art studios in commercial districts.
Operating without state and county licenses risks criminal misdemeanor charges, civil penalties, and forced closure by KCHD inspectors.
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See how Knoxville's tattoo & body modification rules stack up against other locations.
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