St. George, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning basis
- City Code § 10-2-1 defines term
- Allowed
- Permitted by right in C-2, C-3, C-4
- Barred
- Not allowed in C-1 neighborhood commercial
- Manufacturing
- Permitted only in M-C, not M-1/M-2
- Airport area
- Allowed in AVI, C-RM; barred from ASBP
Summary
St. George's zoning code defines tattoo establishments and locates them, by right, only in Commercial C-2/C-3/C-4, Manufacturing-Commercial (M-C), and the airport area's AVI and C-RM zones, not in C-1, M-1, M-2, or ASBP.
TATTOO ESTABLISHMENT: Any location, place, area, structure, or business used for the practice of tattooing or the instruction of tattooing, excluding permanent cosmetics establishments. UNDISTURBED: An area that remains in a natural, pristine condition and not subject to grading, excavation, or other similar disturbance. UNPAVED SURFACE: A parcel of land or portion thereof that is not paved with an approved surfacing material such as asphalt or concrete. URBAN HENS AND RABBITS : Keeping of chickens (hens only) and rabbits, as an accessory use to a single-family dwelling, to produce food for the family residing on the subject property. VALVE: A device used to control the flow of water in an irrigation system. VEHICLE: Any form of motorized transport or any trailer. VESSEL: Every type of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water. WATER ACTIVITY: An amusement activity involving the use of water such as swimming pools, slides, rides, wave pools, wave riding, tubing, boating, etc. WATER-CONSERVING PLANT: A plant that can generally survive with available rainfall once established, with possible minimal supplemental irrigation needed or desirable during spring and summer months or during drought periods.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-062, passed August 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
City code section 10-2-1 defines a tattoo establishment as any location, place, area, structure, or business used for tattooing or teaching tattooing, apart from permanent-cosmetics shops. The zoning tables in Title 10 then control where one can operate: permitted (P) in Commercial C-2, C-3, and C-4 but not C-1 neighborhood commercial (10-8B-1); permitted only in Manufacturing-Commercial (M-C), not M-1 or M-2 (10-8C-1), where it's grouped with body piercing; and in the airport vicinity, permitted in AVI and C-RM but barred from ASBP (10-10-1). St. George has no separate tattoo-specific business license chapter, placement runs through these permitted-use tables.
Violations & Fines
Running a tattoo or body-piercing studio in a zone without a 'P', C-1, M-1, M-2, or ASBP, is an unpermitted use; the city can deny the business license, issue a zoning citation, or order relocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in St. George can I legally open a tattoo shop?
Is body piercing regulated the same way?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. George
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