Manchester, NH Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Tattoo and piercing shops (§110.02(A))
- Term
- Expires annually every April 30
- Fee
- $50 first 1,500 sq ft, +$2/100 sq ft, cap $1,000
- Application
- Trade name, address, insurance if requested
- Pre-issuance check
- Zoning verified before license issues
- Appeal window
- 10 days to request a hearing
- Penalty
- Each day unlicensed is a separate offense
Summary
Manchester requires every tattoo parlor and body piercing establishment to hold an annual business license from the City Clerk before opening. City Code Section 110.02(A) names tattoo and body piercing establishments among the businesses this chapter licenses, the license expires each April 30, and the shop's zoning and fee obligations are checked before the city issues it.
(A) It shall be unlawful for any person to commence or conduct, or propose to commence or conduct, either directly or indirectly, a business within the city and identified by the provisions of this chapter, unless a license therefor, expiring on April 30 annually, has been issued by the City Clerk upon payment of the fee prescribed by the provisions of this chapter. A business or business activity required to file under this chapter shall include: common victualers; dealers in and keepers of shops for the purchase, sale or barter of junk, old metals or second-hand articles; pawnbrokers; hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts; high-impact retail stores; tattoo and body piercing establishments; farmer's markets; food-service establishments; ... peddlers; fairs; and such other activities, devices, or vehicles that may be cited by this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: current through Ord. passed 6-3-2025).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 110 of the Manchester Code of Ordinances makes tattoo and body piercing establishments a licensed business category alongside pawnbrokers, hotels, food-service establishments and high-impact retail stores. 02(A) bars anyone from commencing or conducting a tattoo or piercing business in the city until the City Clerk issues a license, which runs on a single citywide cycle and expires every April 30 regardless of when it was first granted. 02(B) folds in every applicable rule from the Planning and Community Development, Zoning, Health, Police and Fire Departments, so a tattoo studio must also satisfy other municipal and state requirements to keep its city license in good standing.
25, the license application must give the City Clerk the applicant's home and business addresses and phone numbers, the shop's trade name, a description of the tattoo or piercing services offered and, if the Clerk requests it, a certificate of insurance from a company licensed to do business in New Hampshire. 09 requires zoning verification before the license issues; if the address is not zoned for the business, the application is denied outright. 20(A) at $50 for the first 1,500 square feet of shop space plus $2 per additional 100 square feet, capped at $1,000.
03 keeps the license itself as city property that must be surrendered to the City Clerk if the shop closes or the license is suspended or revoked.
Violations & Fines
A tattoo or piercing shop operating without its Chapter 110 license, or breaching a license condition, faces revocation by the City Clerk under Section 110.26(B) for fraud in the application, any title violation, or endangering public health or safety. The owner may request a hearing before the Committee on Administration within ten days of a denial, suspension or revocation notice under Section 110.27(A); a revocation for immediate danger under Section 110.26(B)(7) can take effect before that hearing. Section 110.99 makes each day of unlicensed operation a separate offense and lets the city sue to recover its costs and fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Manchester require a license to open a tattoo or piercing shop?
What has to go on a Manchester tattoo shop's license application?
How much is the tattoo parlor license fee in Manchester?
Can Manchester revoke a tattoo studio's business license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manchester
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