Pasco, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Prohibited zones
- C-2, C-1, BP, O, C-R, all residential
- Governing section
- PMC 25.165.180
- Definition source
- PMC 25.15.220
- Original adoption
- Ord. 3354, 1999
- Most recent amendment
- Ord. 4700A, 2023
Summary
Pasco prohibits tattoo parlors from operating in its central business, retail business, business park, office, and regional commercial districts, and in every residential zone, under PMC 25.165.180.
Tattoo parlors, as defined in PMC 25.15.220, are prohibited from operating in the C-2 (central business district), the C-1 (retail business district), the BP (business park district) zone, the O (office district) zone, the C-R (regional commercial) zone, and any residential zone.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).
Full Breakdown
220 from six categories of zones by name: the C-2 central business district, the C-1 retail business district, the BP business park district, the O office district, the C-R regional commercial district, and any residential zone. 150, which are likewise excluded from C-2, C-1, BP, O, and C-R zones and confined to C-3 and I-1. 140) and was carried forward most recently by Ordinance 4700A in 2023. 180 does not add a minimum distance-from-competitor spacing requirement or an enclosed-structure mandate; it is purely a district exclusion.
A business owner must confirm the parcel's zoning designation before applying for a business license, because the City Planner-level home occupation and administrative permit processes available to other business types do not create an exception to this district-based prohibition.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattoo parlor in a prohibited zone is a zoning code violation subject to the City's standard code enforcement process; the use is not permitted with any accessory permit, variance, or home occupation license because the exclusion is by district rather than by use standard. A property owner or operator found in an excluded zone is required to cease the use or relocate to a zone where tattoo parlors are permitted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Pasco can a tattoo parlor legally operate?
Can I get a variance to open a tattoo parlor downtown in Pasco?
Does Pasco require tattoo parlors to be a set distance from other businesses?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco
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