Will County, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Use classification
- Personal improvement service, body art subtype
- Permitted districts
- C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4 commercial only
- Prohibited districts
- Agricultural, residential, industrial, SP-PO
- Scope
- Unincorporated Will County only
- Enforcement
- Zoning Administrator under section 155-17.20
Summary
Will County zoning classifies tattoo parlors and piercing studios as personal improvement service uses, permitted by right only in the county's C-1 through C-4 commercial districts in unincorporated areas.
Body art service. Provision of any of the following procedures: body piercing, tattooing, cosmetic tattooing, branding or scarification. This definition does not include practices that are considered medical procedures by the Illinois Medical Board, which may not be performed in a body art services establishment.
(T) Repair or laundry service, consumer. Provision of repair, dry cleaning or laundry services to individuals and households, but not to firms. Excludes vehicle and equipment repair. Typical uses include laundry/dry cleaning drop- off stations (with no dry cleaning on the premises), hand laundries, appliance repair shops, locksmiths, shoe and apparel repair and musical instrument repair.
(U) Research service. An establishment that conducts educational, scientific, high-technology or medical research not involving the mass production, distribution or sale of products. Research services do not produce odors, dust, noise, vibration or other external impacts that are detectable beyond the property lines of the subject property. Research-related establishments that do produce such external impacts are classified as "manufacturing, production and industrial services."
(V) Residential convenience and support establishment. Commercial uses provided primarily to serve the needs of residents in large, multi-unit (residential) buildings or residents within the immediate area. The following are considered residential convenience and support establishments:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance No. 24-100, passed 4-18-2024 and Res. 23-387, passed 11-16-2023; and State legislation approved through 2024 Pamphlet #2).
Full Breakdown
Will County's zoning code defines 'body art service' as any establishment providing body piercing, tattooing, cosmetic tattooing, branding or scarification, and classifies it as a personal improvement service use under Will County Code section 155-8.40(S)(1). The section 155-7.30 use table permits personal improvement service uses by right only in the C-1, C-2, C-3 and C-4 commercial zoning districts; it is not allowed in any agricultural, estate, residential or industrial district. This applies only to unincorporated Will County -- Joliet, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Plainfield and Lockport zone tattoo shops under their own municipal codes, not this one.
Violations & Fines
The Zoning Administrator enforces Title XV; operating a body art business in a prohibited district or without required approvals can trigger permit denial, stop-work orders, revocation, or administrative adjudication under section 155-17.20 and Chapter 43.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a tattoo studio anywhere in unincorporated Will County?
Does Will County's zoning code cover tattoo shops in Joliet or Bolingbrook?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Will County
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