Pompano Beach, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- BTR classification
- 170 - Tattoo Parlor
- Annual BTR fee
- $191.45 per activity
- Extra requirement
- Dentist/physician letter plus state license
- Piercing oversight
- Florida Dept. of Health approval needed
- Zoning use
- Retail/Personal Services, § 155.4221
- Renewal deadline
- September 30 each year
- Unlicensed penalty
- 25% of tax due, § 113.27(B)
Summary
Pompano Beach requires a Business Tax Receipt to run a tattoo parlor, body piercing studio, or permanent makeup business, with the BTR schedule pricing each activity at $191.45 under classification 170. The zoning code separately defines a tattoo or body piercing establishment as one whose principal activity is puncturing skin to insert ink or jewelry, and confines that use to the city's business and industrial districts.
§ 155.4221.L.2: "A tattoo or body piercing establishment is an establishment whose principal business activity, either in terms of operation or as held out to the public, is the practice of one or more of the following: (1) making indelible marks or designs on or visible through the skin of a human by puncturing or pricking the skin with a needle or other instrument and inserting ink or other pigments; or (2) creating an opening in any part of the human body, other than the outer perimeter or lobe of the ear, for the purpose of inserting jewelry or other decorative object for a non-medical purpose." ... § 113.39 Business Tax Receipt Schedule: "170- TATTOO PARLOR ... Licensed dentist or physician letter and state license ... 191.45 170- Body piercing (Department of Health required) ... 191.45 170- Permanent makeup ... 191.45"
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-122: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through 2026-35, passed 7-29-26).
Full Breakdown
39 puts tattoo and body art businesses under classification 170. 45 and a note requiring a licensed dentist or physician's letter along with a state license before the city issues the receipt. 45 rate under the same classification. Each is a distinct line item, so a shop offering more than one service, such as tattooing and piercing, needs to account for each classification when it applies through the Development Services Department. L places 'Tattoo or Body Piercing Establishment' among the city's Retail/Personal Services uses within the Commercial Uses portion of the code, alongside businesses such as banks and personal-care studios.
The code's own definition captures both tattooing, defined as puncturing the skin to insert ink or pigment, and body piercing, defined as creating an opening anywhere on the body other than the outer ear lobe or perimeter to insert jewelry for a non-medical purpose. That places tattoo and piercing shops in the city's business, industrial, and planned-development districts rather than in residential zoning, mirroring how the code treats other personal-service retail uses.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattoo, piercing, or permanent makeup business without the required classification-170 Business Tax Receipt triggers the same citywide BTR enforcement as any other trade: a 25% penalty on the tax owed under § 113.27(B), plus a 10% late fee with an additional 5% for every month the renewal is overdue past September 30. If the receipt remains unpaid 150 days after written notice, § 113.27(D) lets the city pursue court costs, attorneys' fees, and a $250 penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pompano Beach require a separate license for a tattoo shop?
Is body piercing licensed the same way as tattooing in Pompano Beach?
Where can a tattoo or piercing studio legally operate in the city?
What happens if a shop operates without the tattoo parlor BTR?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pompano Beach
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Tattoo & Body Modification in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Broward County handle tattoo & body modification.