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Quincy, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Practitioner license required
§ 124-4
Establishment permit required
§ 124-5
License fee
$250 annually
School buffer
1,000 feet minimum
Exemptions
physicians, single-use ear piercing

Summary

Quincy, Massachusetts (Norfolk County) requires a Health Department license for every tattoo or piercing practitioner and a separate establishment permit, which the city bars within 1,000 feet of any school under City Code §§ 124-4 and 124-5.

§ 124-4: No person shall conduct any form of body art activity unless such person holds a valid body art practitioner license issued by the Department pursuant to this chapter. § 124-5: No person shall establish a facility for the conduct of a business...without a valid permit...issued by the Department in accordance with this chapter. No such facility shall be permitted within 1,000 feet of any school.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4608810; v7 updated 2025-10-06; through 10-06-2025).

Full Breakdown

City Code § 124-4 (Chapter 124, Body Art) bars anyone from performing tattooing, piercing, branding, or other body art without a valid body art practitioner license from the Quincy Health Department. § 124-5 separately requires a body art establishment permit to operate a body art business, and bars any such facility within 1,000 feet of a school. Practitioners pay a $250 license fee under § 124-9 and must meet training, Hepatitis B disclosure, and hygiene rules; physicians and single-use-stud ear piercing are exempt under § 124-6.

Violations & Fines

Operating or practicing without the required license or permit is enforced under §§ 124-105 through 124-109, with noncriminal and criminal penalties for practitioners and establishments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Quincy tattoo artists need a city license?
Yes. § 124-4 requires every body art practitioner -- tattoo artists, piercers, and similar -- to hold a Health Department license, renewed annually for a $250 fee under § 124-9.
How close can a tattoo shop be to a school in Quincy?
Not within 1,000 feet. § 124-5 bars issuing a body art establishment permit for any facility located within 1,000 feet of a school.

Sources & Official References

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All Quincy rules

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