Mount Prospect, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Chapter 19, Article V of the Village Code is titled Tattoo Parlors And Tattoo Artists. Section 19.501 states its purpose: to serve and protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the village through regulations relative to tattoo parlors and tattoo artists.

The operative rule is short and strict. Under Section 19.503, no person who is not a qualified, licensed medical professional can apply a tattoo to the body of any person or otherwise operate as a tattoo artist in the village. Section 19.502 defines a qualified licensed medical professional as a person licensed by the state of Illinois, any other state, the federal government, or any commonwealth, as a medical doctor or medical osteopath or other medical practitioner with equivalent licensure, training and education requirements.

The definitions widen the reach. A tattoo is any design, imprint, scar, or fixture on the skin created by imprinting, attaching, imbedding, or otherwise affixing any indelible or semipermanent ink or other permanent or semipermanent liquid compound, or by burning, searing, or cutting the skin to create the design, imprint, scar, or fixture. A tattoo artist is a person who applies tattoos to him or herself or to others whether at a permanent or temporary location. A tattoo facility is any place where a person tattoos any part of his or her own body or the body of another.

Section 19.504 sets enforcement. The penalty is a fine set in Appendix A, Division III, in addition to any other sanctions, and each day of violation is a separate offense. The schedule lists a fine of not less than $200.00 nor more than $2,500.00 for each offense. The Village can also take other lawful action in any court of competent jurisdiction, including an equitable action for injunctive relief or an action at law for damages, and the remedies and penalties are cumulative and independently available. Section 19.505 provides that if any section, subsection or clause of the article is held invalid, the remaining sections, subsections and clauses are not affected.