Parma, OH Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Codified Ordinances Chapter 777 covers every "body art establishment" in Parma, defined to include tattooing, permanent cosmetics and body piercing (Section 777.01), and exempts only physicians tattooing or piercing for a medical purpose (Section 777.02). Under Section 777.03, no person may operate a body art establishment without a license issued by the Safety Director, applied for annually on City forms with a $250.00 fee; licenses are nontransferable, a change of ownership requires a brand-new license and payment, and every license expires December 31 regardless of when it was issued, with no fee proration.

Before a license issues, Section 777.07 requires the applicant to obtain a Certificate of Inspection showing the establishment meets the chapter's terms, and the Safety Director or a designee may conduct annual and other periodic inspections; willfully preventing an inspection is itself a violation, and the certificate must be posted on-site as public notice. Section 777.04 folds in the state's minimum standards, adopting Ohio R.C. Chapter 3730 and Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3701-9 (covering waste disposal, age limits, recordkeeping and body-artist training) as the floor for every establishment operating in Parma.

The Safety Director may deny, suspend or revoke a license for any violation of the chapter (Section 777.09), with an appeal available under Section 700.04 of the Business Regulation Code. Where a City rule and a state rule conflict, Section 777.10 directs that whichever standard is stricter for public health and safety controls. Sections 777.05, 777.06 and 777.08 (recordkeeping, disposal of contaminated items, and tattooing diseased/intoxicated persons or minors) were repealed by Ordinance 40-24 on October 7, 2024, so those specific duties now run through the adopted state rules instead of separate city text.