National City, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Chapter 9.54 of the National City Municipal Code rests on a stated public interest: any person engaging in the business of tattooing must meet certain minimal standards, and the business is regulated for the health and safety of the general public (§ 9.54.010). Rather than writing its own health code, the city council adopts Title 6, Division 6, Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 66.301) of the San Diego County Code of Regulatory Ordinances, as now in effect or as amended later, as the rules for tattoo artists, tattoo parlors and mobile tattoo vehicles in National City. A copy is on file in the office of the city clerk.

Three kinds of operator need a permit: the tattoo parlor, the mobile tattoo vehicle and the individual tattoo artist. Under § 9.54.030 the San Diego County health officer holds primary jurisdiction over enforcement and administration, and the chief of police can exercise concurrent jurisdiction. Applicants pay the regulatory fees the county of San Diego imposes for licensing, in addition to any business taxes required by Chapter 6.04, and the finance director coordinates collection of those fees (§ 9.54.040).

The permit is only half of the picture. Section 18.30.310 of the Land Use Code (Title 18) adds location rules for tattoo parlors and body-piercing establishments: no such establishment within one mile of another, at least 1,000 feet from a church, school or playground, no closer than two hundred fifty feet from a residential zone, none east of Interstate 805 except within the MXD-2 zone, and a Conditional Use Permit is required. The printed history for § 18.30.310 shows amendments by Ord. No. 2024-2529 on 4-2-2024 and Ord. No. 2026-2559, § 5, on 1-20-2026, while Chapter 9.54 dates to Ord. 2144 in 1998.