South Fulton, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Table 2-4, the Principal Use Table for Non-Residential Districts, lists NAICS code 812119 Tattoo and Body Piercing Studios with an 'S' in the C-2 General Commercial District column only; the AG-1, C-1 Limited Commercial, O-I, MIX, M-1, and M-2 columns are all blank. Under § 207.06(b), an 'S' means the use is allowed only by approval as a Special Use, which the City Council alone may grant when certain conditions are met, following the Special Use process laid out in Article 8 of the Zoning Ordinance.

Section 207.04(a) reinforces that any principal use not shown as allowed on Table 2-4, whether by right or Special Use, is specifically prohibited in that district, so a tattoo studio cannot locate in C-1 or any residential or industrial district no matter what business license it might separately qualify for. The Special Use process under Article 8, § 803, requires the applicant to file a rezoning or special use application that City Council reviews against the standards in § 803.06, with the CDRA Director administering and interpreting the Zoning Ordinance under § 106.01-.02 and any interpretation dispute appealable under Article 8.

Compare this to Personal Care Services in the same table: barber shops, beauty salons, and nail salons also require Special Use approval in C-1, C-2, and MIX, but tattoo and body piercing studios are restricted further, limited to C-2 alone, reflecting the city's treatment of body modification as a more intensive commercial use requiring a tighter locational review than ordinary personal-care businesses.