Kern County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Environmental health permit before opening
- Transferability
- Not transferable to new owner or location
- Renewal cycle
- Fiscal year, July through June
- No-permit penalty
- 3x annual fee, plus misdemeanor charge
- Late fee penalty
- 50% of fee owed
- Enforcing office
- Director of Public Health Services
Summary
Any tattoo, piercing, branding or permanent-cosmetics business in unincorporated Kern County needs an environmental health permit from the Director of Public Health Services before opening. The permit is not transferable, renews every fiscal year, and must be posted in plain view. Operating without one carries a penalty of three times the annual fee and is a misdemeanor.
"Body art" as defined by Section 119301 of the California Health and Safety Code means body piercing, tattooing, branding, or application of permanent cosmetics. ... Any person conducting any business, occupation or other activity listed in this chapter within the geographic area under the jurisdiction of the director of public health services shall apply for an environmental health permit or a unified program facility permit on the form provided, shall pay to the director of public health services the prescribed fee and penalty, if any, and shall at all times possess said permit. The permit is not transferable. ... d.Body art practitioner requirements shall be issued each fiscal year;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 59 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
010, adopts the state definition: body art means body piercing, tattooing, branding, or application of permanent cosmetics, performed by a body art practitioner in a body art facility. 030 makes the permit mandatory: any person conducting a listed business or activity in the area under the Director of Public Health Services' jurisdiction shall apply for an environmental health permit on the required form, pay the prescribed fee, and possess that permit at all times, and the permit cannot be transferred to a new owner or location.
040 requires a separate permit for each distinct activity conducted on the same premises. 060(C)(4) sets body art practitioner permits to issue on a fiscal-year basis, with the full fee due for July through December applicants and half the fee for January through June applicants, and a yearly renewal fee due every July 1 regardless of the permit's original issue date. 070 requires the permit to be posted and exhibited in public view at a fixed place of business, or carried on the person if there is no fixed location. 050 lets the Director issue or renew the permit once satisfied the operation complies with state and county public and environmental health requirements.
Violations & Fines
Operating a body art facility without the required permit is a misdemeanor under Section 8.04.190(C) and also draws a monetary penalty equal to three times the annual permit fee under Section 8.04.190(B). A late renewal fee adds a penalty of fifty percent of the fee owed. The Director of Public Health Services can suspend or revoke a permit under Section 8.04.160 after notice and a hearing, and may immediately shut down an operation that poses an immediate danger to public health under Section 8.04.170(D).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do tattoo and piercing shops need a special permit in unincorporated Kern County?
How often does a body art facility permit need to be renewed?
What happens if a tattoo studio operates without a permit?
Can a body art permit be transferred when a shop is sold?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kern County
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