Pico Rivera, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Table 18.12.020.A, adopted under Municipal Code Section 18.12.020, lists every allowed use in the city's commercial zones together with the land use permit each one needs. Tattoo Shops appear in that table with a "P," for permitted by right with no discretionary review, in the C-M (Commercial Manufacturing), C-C (Community Commercial) and C-G (General Commercial) zones. The table marks the use with a dash in the P-A (Professional Administrative) and CPD (Commercial Planned Development) zones, meaning it is not allowed there at all, regardless of permit type.

The table's Additional Regulations column attaches one further condition to the by-right approval: a distance requirement of 1,000 feet between the property lines of the same use, so a second tattoo shop cannot locate within 1,000 feet of an existing one even inside a zone where the use is otherwise permitted outright. Section 18.12.020 explains that uses not specifically listed as permitted are expressly prohibited, and directs the Zoning Administrator to classify any undefined use by finding the closest substantially similar classification. Retail and personal-service uses generally, including a tattoo shop, must also be conducted entirely within an enclosed building under the same section, and outdoor storage is barred in every commercial zone.