Trenton, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

3 of the Land Development Ordinance defines BODY MODIFICATION ESTABLISHMENT as "an establishment that offers tattooing services, body piercing, and/or non-medical body modification," expressly carving out any establishment that offers only ear piercing as an ancillary service, which falls outside the definition. Trenton's business License Schedule at § 146-20 itemizes dozens of specific trades with individual fees, from barbershops to massage salons, but does not list tattooing, piercing, or body modification among them, so this use is governed principally through zoning rather than a dedicated license line item.

4's introduction that every principal use, whether permitted or conditional, must meet all applicable use standards and other Code regulations. 1 states that off-street vehicle parking is not required at all in Trenton, but if an applicant chooses to provide it, Table 10-2 sets the maximum, listing Body Modification Establishment at one space per 300 square feet of gross floor area, dropping to one space per 1,500 square feet for floor area above 5,000 square feet. That means a body art studio cannot be forced to build excess parking, and any parking it does provide is capped by that ratio during site plan review.