Medford, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Medford's Revised Ordinances define 'body art' in Section 94-12.0 to cover body piercing, tattooing, cosmetic tattooing, branding and scarification, while carving ordinary ear-lobe piercing out of regulation entirely. A 'body art establishment' is defined as an individual who has been granted a permit by the board of health to perform body art inside a location that itself holds a separate board of health permit, meaning both the practitioner and the premises need sign-off before work can begin. The same definition imposes a citywide spacing rule: no body art establishment can locate within 2,000 feet of the nearest lot line of another body art establishment, a buffer that effectively limits how many shops can operate close together.

Zoning-wise, Chapter 94's Table of Use Regulations lists 'Body art establishment' as not permitted in the city's residential districts and permitted only by special permit from the city council in the commercial zones, so an applicant needs council approval on top of the board of health permits before opening. Violations of the zoning chapter, including operating without the required special permit or inside the 2,000-foot buffer, are enforced by the building commissioner under Section 94-11.3.2, which sets a fine of up to $300.00 for each day the violation continues.

The city may also proceed by noncriminal disposition, with fines starting at $25.00 for a first offense and rising to $200.00 for a fourth or later offense. Because the definition sits in the zoning chapter rather than the health chapter, both the building commissioner and the board of health share jurisdiction over a Medford body art business.