Kenosha County, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Establishment license
- Required, §16.12.030(1)
- Practitioner license
- Separate state DSPS license, §16.12.030(2)
- State standard incorporated
- SPS 221, Wis. Admin. Code
- Statutory authority
- Wis. Stat. §252.245(6)
- License period
- July 1 to June 30 annually
- General penalty
- $100-$500 forfeiture per violation
Summary
Kenosha County requires a Division of Health license to operate a tattoo, body piercing, or combined establishment, and a separate state practitioner license for anyone who actually tattoos or pierces, under a chapter adopted directly under state authority and incorporating Wisconsin's SPS 221 standards.
16.12.030 Requirement of a license. (1) Establishment. No person shall operate a tattoo establishment, as defined in SPS 221, Wis. Admin. Code, or a body piercing establishment, as defined in SPS 221, Wis. Admin. Code, or a combined tattoo and body piercing establishment in Kenosha County unless the person has obtained a valid license for the operation of the establishment from the Division. (2) Practitioner. No person may tattoo or body pierce, as defined in SPS 221, Wis. Admin. Code, another person, use or assume the title of tattooist or body piercer... unless the person has obtained a valid practitioner license from the State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 37 (2026), passed March 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Division X of Chapter 16, the county's Environmental Health/Food Ordinance, regulates tattoo and body piercing establishments. 245(6), Wis. 020 then requires every tattoo or body piercing establishment, or combined establishment as defined in SPS 221, Wis. Admin. Code, to operate within the terms of the chapter, any Kenosha County Board of Health regulation, and SPS 221 itself, all incorporated by reference into the county code. 030 is two-tiered: subsection (1) requires the establishment itself to hold a valid Division license to operate in Kenosha County, and subsection (2) separately requires any individual who tattoos or body pierces, or who uses the title tattooist or body piercer, to hold a valid practitioner license issued by the State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, not the county.
040 goes to the Division on its own forms with the license fee and a preinspection fee where applicable, and the Health Officer must certify full compliance with the chapter, SPS 221, and any Board of Health regulation before the Division issues or renews it. org/FeeSchedules, plus any separate Wisconsin state administrative fee on file with the Division. 060 runs July 1 through June 30 annually, with licenses issued between April 1 and June 30 still expiring that June 30.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattoo or body piercing establishment without the required Division license, or a practitioner working without the separate state license, violates Chapter 16 and draws the chapter's general penalty under Section 16.01.130(1): a forfeiture of $100 to $500 per violation, plus prosecution costs including court costs and reasonable attorney fees, with up to 30 days in the county jail if unpaid. Each day of continued unlicensed operation counts as a separate offense. The Health Officer may also deny, suspend or revoke the establishment license under Section 16.01.100 for noncompliance with SPS 221 or Board of Health regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to open a tattoo shop in Kenosha County?
Do individual tattoo artists also need their own license?
What does an establishment need before the county will issue the license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha County
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