Long Branch, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Plan review fee
- $250 per body art establishment
- Limited plan alteration fee
- $125 per plan
- Floor-area carve-out
- Under 5% keeps a business off tattoo-parlor status
- State standard cited
- N.J.A.C. 8:27-2.2
- Chapter adopted
- 1978, body art added 2020 (Ord. 10-20)
Summary
Long Branch defines a body art establishment as one whose primary business is applying permanent body art or makeup to human skin, and it charges a $250 plan review fee for any such establishment, with a $125 fee for a limited plan alteration.
BODY ART ESTABLISHMENT Any establishment whose primary business is the application to the human skin of permanent body art or makeup. In addition, any establishment that may require a State of New Jersey tattoo license to operate shall not be considered a tattoo parlor, provided that not more than 5% of the total floor area of the establishment is dedicated for the application to the human skin of permanent body art or makeup. ... A plan review fee of $250 shall be required for any body art establishment submitted for review pursuant to N.J.A.C. 8:27-2.2. ... Plan review fee for any body art establishment limited plan alteration shall be $125 per plan.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4904719; v48 updated 2026-06-10; through 06-10-2026).
Full Breakdown
City of Long Branch Code § 227-1, part of Chapter 227, Massage Parlors and Body Art Establishments, defines BODY ART ESTABLISHMENT as any establishment whose primary business is the application to human skin of permanent body art or makeup. The definition, added by Ordinance No. 10-20 in 2020, also draws a carve-out: an establishment that may require a State of New Jersey tattoo license to operate is not treated as a tattoo parlor under city code as long as no more than 5% of its total floor area is dedicated to applying permanent body art or makeup, which keeps, for example, a salon offering incidental cosmetic tattooing outside the stricter local category.
C. 2, with a reduced $125 fee for a limited plan alteration. Chapter 227 otherwise centers on massage establishments: § 227-2 requires a state-issued massage license to practice, and § 227-4(A) through (E) sets a $50 massage establishment license fee, an annual license term from January 1 to December 31, and a City Clerk application process referred to the Director of Public Safety for investigation. C. 2, Long Branch's own quotable requirement for body art establishments is the plan review fee tied to that state process, not a separate city licensing exam or apprenticeship rule.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 227 does not print a standalone penalty section specific to body art establishments in the current code; violations of the massage and body art provisions of Chapter 227, such as operating without required plan review, fall under the citywide default penalty of Chapter 1, General Provisions, § 1-16, a fine of up to $2,000, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or up to 90 days of community service, with each day of noncompliance counted separately. A massage establishment license may also be revoked for cause under § 227-11 and § 227-12 after notice and a hearing before the City Administrator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a body art establishment in Long Branch?
Is there a fee to open a tattoo or body art business?
Can a nail salon that does small cosmetic tattoos avoid tattoo-parlor rules?
Does Long Branch issue its own tattoo artist license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Branch
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