Toms River, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Excluded zones
- Village Business & Village Seaport Zones
- Excluded uses
- Tattoo parlors and body piercing shops
- Basis
- Zoning use exclusion, not health licensing
- Recourse
- Zoning Board of Adjustment use variance
Summary
Toms River Township's zoning code excludes tattoo parlors and body piercing shops from the personal-service uses permitted in the Village Business and Village Seaport Zones, so these businesses need a different commercial zone to open legally.
Personal service establishments, which may include the following but shall not include tattoo parlors and body piercing: [Amended 12-27-2006 by Ord. No. 4064-06]
(a) Barbershops and beauty shops.
(b) Tailoring and dressmaking shops.
(c) Dry-cleaning and laundry collection shops, but not including self-service laundries.
(d) Shoe repair shops.
(e) Appliance repair shops.
(f) Radio and television repair shops.
(g) Art, music, dancing, gymnastics and other similar instructional schools.
(3) Business and professional offices and banks and financial institutions.
(4) Restaurants, lunchrooms, bars and other eating and drinking establishments, but not including drive-in restaurants.
(5) Publication of newspapers and periodicals.
(6) Federal, state, county and municipal buildings and grounds, but excluding schools.
(7) Essential services.
(8) Funeral homes, including one dwelling unit. [Added 4-11-1990 by Ord. No. 2729-90]
(9) Churches and places of worship. [Added 8-14-1991 by Ord. No. 2848-91]
(10) Child-care centers. [Added 8-14-1991 by Ord. No. 2848-91]
(11) Theaters and related performing arts venues. [Added 8-14-1991 by Ord. No. 2848-91; amended 8-22-2017 by Ord. No. 4554-17]
(12) Offices and facilities for businesses in the communications and information industry in that portion of the zone south of West Water Street. [Added 9-28-1994 by Ord. No. 3055-94]
(13) Adult-care centers.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4954830; v33 updated 2026-04-22; through 04-22-2026).
Full Breakdown
Toms River Township's Land Use and Development Regulations name personal service establishments as a permitted use in the Village Business Zone and the Village Seaport Zone, but each zone's list carves out tattoo parlors and body piercing by name, so those businesses cannot open as of right in either district. Township code contains no separate tattoo-parlor licensing chapter -- this zoning exclusion is the local rule. A shop owner wanting one of these two zones would need to apply to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a use variance under the Municipal Land Use Law.
Violations & Fines
Operating a tattoo or piercing shop in the Village Business or Village Seaport Zone without a variance is a zoning violation, enforceable by the Zoning Officer through a cease-and-desist order and municipal court prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a tattoo shop in downtown Toms River?
Does Toms River license tattoo artists separately?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Toms River
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Tattoo & Body Modification in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle tattoo & body modification.