Port St. Lucie, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Business tax classification
- Category IV, Tattooist (Artist/Establishment), Sec. 111.45
- Annual tax rate
- $268.00 flat fee per receipt
- Application fee
- $19.00 nonrefundable, Sec. 111.16
- Renewal deadline
- Expires September 30 every year
- Operating without receipt
- Up to $250.00 penalty, Sec. 111.21
- Enforcing office
- City Business Tax Division
Summary
Every tattoo artist and tattoo establishment operating in Port St. Lucie must hold a City business tax receipt before opening. Sec. 111.45's Category IV schedule classifies 'Tattooist (Artist/Establishment)' at a flat $268.00 annual tax, and Sec. 111.15 makes it unlawful to engage in the trade, or to lease space to one, without first paying the tax and obtaining the receipt from the Business Tax Division.
Category IV. All Tax Receipts Herein: $268.00.
ALF (Assisted Living Facility)
Animal Medical Facility
...
Swimming Pool
Tattooist (Artist/Establishment)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
The city's Business Tax Division administers the tax receipt under Chapter 111, Article III. Sec. 00 per receipt; the schedule does not add a per-chair or per-artist surcharge for tattoo businesses the way it does for call centers or real estate lessors. To apply, Sec. 00 application fee (a post office box cannot be used as the business address). Sec. 15(b) makes it unlawful for anyone subject to the chapter to engage in or manage a business, profession or occupation without paying the tax, and Sec.
23 limits each receipt to one location and one classification. Receipts run on a City fiscal cycle: Sec. 19 sets all tax receipts to expire September 30 each year, with half-year receipts available for businesses that first open between April 1 and September 30. Sec. 25 requires the receipt to be conspicuously displayed at the business and exhibited on request to any City officer. The City Manager or designee can revoke a receipt under Sec. 26 for a maintained nuisance, three or more Code violations within 12 months, a false statement in the application, or failure to correct a fire-code violation after notice, following a notice-and-hearing process before the Special Magistrate with a right of appeal to the City Council. Tattooists who never obtain the receipt still owe delinquency penalties under Sec. 22 once discovered.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a valid business tax receipt violates Sec. 111.21, exposing the business, and any landlord who knowingly rents to it, to civil action, court and attorney's fees, collection costs and a penalty of up to $250.00, enforceable through the Special Magistrate under Chapter 37. Sec. 111.22 adds a 10% October delinquency penalty plus 5% for each additional month (capped at 25% of the tax), and a separate 25% penalty on the tax due if the receipt was never obtained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Port St. Lucie require a separate tattoo shop license beyond the business tax receipt?
How much does a tattoo business tax receipt cost in Port St. Lucie?
What happens if a tattoo artist works in Port St. Lucie without the tax receipt?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port St. Lucie
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