Mobile, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- License code
- NAICS 812197, tattooing parlors
- License rate
- 0.40% of gross receipts
- Full-year minimum
- $120 (half-year $60)
- Health inspection
- Board of Health inspection required
- Police jurisdiction rate
- Half the in-city rate
- Renewal deadline
- January 31 annually
- Unlicensed operation fine
- Up to $500 per day
Summary
Tattoo and tattoo-parlor businesses in Mobile, Alabama must buy an annual business license under NAICS code 812197 before opening, priced at 0.40% of gross receipts with a $120 minimum, and are flagged in the city's own schedule as requiring a Board of Health inspection before that license issues.
812197 Tattooing or tattooing parlors - Board of Health inspection required 0.0040 [Sec. 34-42(a):] Each and every person, wherever located, who engages in any business within the corporate limits, shall pay an annual license according to the attached schedule of licenses, which is located at the end of this chapter. (b) Police jurisdiction. Each and every person, wherever located, who engages in any business outside the corporate limits but within the police jurisdiction, shall pay an annual license at one-half (½) the rate according to the attached schedule of licenses.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
" A shop located outside the city limits but within Mobile's police jurisdiction (the three-mile fringe defined in § 34-43) pays only "one-half (½) the rate" under § 34-42(b). Under § 34-44, a parlor opening before July 1 owes the full-year license, calculated on the prior year's gross receipts under the regression table in § 34-42(c); one opening on or after July 1 owes a half-year license. § 11-51-90. Renewal is due by January 31 each year (§ 34-44(f)). Section 34-46(a) makes the license location-specific: a separate license is required for each address where tattooing is performed, and the license authorizes work only at the designated place.
The revenue director may enter and inspect the premises and demand sales and tax records under § 34-53 to verify the license classification and gross-receipts figures used to calculate the rate.
Violations & Fines
Operating a Mobile tattoo parlor without the required license is a misdemeanor under § 34-50, punishable by up to a $500 fine per offense, and by up to six months in jail for a willful violation, with each day of unlicensed operation a separate offense. Section 34-58 layers tiered fines on top for Code violations generally: $150 for a first offense in a license year, $300 for a second, and up to $500 for a third or later offense, with jail time possible after three violations. Under § 34-60, a license unpaid within 30 days of its due date is increased 15%, with another 15% added past 60 days, plus interest under Code of Ala. § 40-1-44. The city council can also suspend or revoke the license under § 34-64 after a hearing for Code violations tied to the business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a tattoo parlor in Mobile need a city business license?
What does a Mobile tattoo parlor pay for its license?
Does a tattoo shop outside Mobile's city limits still need this license?
What happens if a Mobile tattoo parlor operates without a license?
Can Mobile revoke a tattoo parlor's business license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mobile
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