Sedona, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Establishment permit issuer
- Coconino County health department
- Operator permit term
- 2 years
- Minimum operator age
- 18 years old
- Sanitation exam score required
- 80 percent minimum
- Correction period after citation
- Up to 10 days
- Local violation penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor
Summary
Sedona requires anyone operating a tattoo, piercing or other body art business to hold a body art establishment permit, and every operator or technician must separately hold a permit from Coconino County's health department. Tattooing or piercing anyone under 18 without a parent or guardian's written, in-person consent is banned outright, and violations are prosecuted as a class 1 misdemeanor.
It is prohibited to perform body art on any body part of a person under the age of 18 without the written consent and physical presence of the parent or legal guardian of such minor. ... No person, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, business trust, corporation, or organized group of persons may operate a body art establishment except with a body art establishment permit from the department. ... Any person, whether as principal, owner, agent, tenant, employee, or otherwise, who violates any provision of this section, or fails to comply with any provision of this section, shall be deemed guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punishable as provided in SCC 1.15.010.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Initiative Ordinance 2026-01, approved by voters at the July 21, 2026 election).
Full Breakdown
45 regulates body art, defined broadly to include tattooing, cosmetic tattooing, body piercing, branding and scarification, but not medical implants or cosmetology-board-regulated services. S. S. Title 32 license; operating out of a home, tent, trailer or other impermanent structure; and performing body art on a client who appears inebriated or under the influence. 050 requires a separate establishment permit and an individual operator permit from 'the department,' which the chapter defines as the Coconino County department of health services, and an operator permit is valid for two years, requires bloodborne-pathogen training, hepatitis B vaccination documentation or a written declination, at least six months of experience, and a passing score of at least 80 percent on a sanitation examination.
Establishment permits must be posted where clients can see them and are not transferable between people or locations. The department can inspect an establishment at any time, issue a cease-and-desist order with up to 10 days to correct violations, and immediately suspend a permit if it suspects a communicable disease risk; a suspended permit holder can request reinstatement, and a revocation can only follow written notice and, if requested within five days, a hearing.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required establishment or operator permit, or violating the prohibited-acts list in § 8.45.030(A) through (H), is a class 1 misdemeanor under SCC 8.45.150(A)(2), punishable as set out in the city's general penalty section, SCC 1.15.010. Conduct that also violates the state body-art statute, A.R.S. § 13-3721, is separately chargeable as a class 6 felony, and interfering with a health inspector during an inspection is itself unlawful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Sedona tattoo shops need a city permit?
Can a minor get a tattoo or piercing in Sedona?
What training does a Sedona body art operator need?
What can happen if a shop violates the sanitation rules?
What's the penalty for operating without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sedona
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