Las Vegas, NV Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual license fee
- $500 (LVMC 6.04.080)
- Application processing fee
- $50 nonrefundable (6.02.085)
- Director decision timeline
- 30 calendar days (6.02.090)
- Appeal window
- 10 days to City Manager (6.02.110)
- Billing option
- annual or semiannual (6.04.010)
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine or 6 months jail (1.24.010)
- Unlicensed operation
- separate offense each day (6.02.060(B))
Summary
Any tattoo or body art business operating in Las Vegas must hold a City business license and pay a $500 annual fee under LVMC 6.04.080, which defines the category as any business that places indelible marks by inserting pigment under the skin or that pierces skin to insert rings, loops or studs. Operating without a valid license is a separate misdemeanor each day it continues, under LVMC 6.02.060 and the Chapter 1.24 general penalty.
Businesses within the following licensing categories shall pay an annual license fee of five hundred dollars: ... Tattoo and body art, which is any business that places indelible marks and figures upon the body by inserting pigment under the skin or by the production of scars, or that pierces the skin for the purpose of inserting rings, loops, studs or other implements.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
04, Business License Fees, and assigns tattoo and body art businesses to the five-hundred-dollar annual fee tier alongside collection agencies, employment agencies and television broadcast stations. 080). 010, the Director may bill this annual fee on a semiannual basis instead of collecting it in one payment. 060; conducting, advertising or aiding such a business without a valid unexpired license is unlawful, and each day of operation without one is a separate offense. 080 must list the business structure, the names and addresses of on-site managers responsible for abating nuisance activity, the physical location, and copies of any other required State or local permits. 085). 090). 110).
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattoo or body art business in Las Vegas without a current license violates LVMC 6.02.060(A) and (B), with each day of unlicensed operation charged as a separate offense. Because Chapter 6.04 sets no specific penalty for the fee category, violations fall under the Chapter 1.24 general penalty: a fine of up to one thousand dollars, imprisonment for up to six months, or both (LVMC 1.24.010), and each continuing day is again a separate offense under LVMC 1.24.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Las Vegas
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