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

The Village of Palatine's zoning ordinance does not list tattoo parlors or piercing studios as a permitted use in any commercial district. Instead, Zoning Ordinance §§ 11.02(d)(17), 11.03(d)(23) and 11.04(f)(10) list piercing studios and stores as a special use in the B-1 Shopping Center, B-2 General Business and B-3 Central Business Districts alike, meaning an operator must win Village Council approval rather than simply pulling a business license. The definition carried in Appendix A's rules-and-definitions article ties the requirement directly to state law: a use only counts as a regulated piercing studio and stores if it is not exempted under the Tattoo and Body Piercing Establishment Registration Act, 410 ILCS 54/1 et seq., administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the carve-out excludes medical procedures and single-use stud-and-clasp ear-lobe piercing.

Getting the special use means filing with the Planning and Zoning Department, going through a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission under Zoning Ordinance § 32-97, and satisfying the general special-use standards in § 32-100: that the use is necessary for public convenience, is designed and operated so public health, safety and welfare are protected, and will not injure neighboring property values. Once granted, the special use lapses under § 32-102 if no building permit issues within a year, construction is not completed within two years of permit issuance, or the piercing business stops operating for six consecutive months or more, and it cannot transfer to a new owner or operator without a transfer request reviewed by the Village Manager under § 32-104.

There is no ordinance provision naming tattoo parlors as a distinct use; only piercing establishments are separately addressed, so a tattoo-only studio would need its use classification confirmed with the Planning and Zoning Department before applying.