Tustin, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Tustin City Code § 3651 makes it unlawful to engage in the business of applying body art in the City of Tustin without a City body art permit issued by the Director of Finance, and unlawful to apply body art anywhere except a body art facility that carries both the County health permit registration and the matching City permit. The rule exempts physicians and surgeons licensed under Chapter 5 of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code, so medical procedures involving skin marking are not swept in.

Section 3652 layers the City permit on top of County oversight: an applicant cannot get the City permit until the facility already holds a valid Orange County health permit, or until the applicant is employed by a facility that does, and the applicant must show proof of registration with the Health Officer, payment of the annual County inspection fee, and the address where the business will operate under Health and Safety Code Section 119303. Section 3653 adds a City-specific step: the applicant must submit a complete set of fingerprints taken through the Livescan service.

Once permitted, Section 3654 requires the facility to stay open to inspection by any City officer at all times body art services are provided, bars operating at any location not named in the County registration or City permit, and bars violating the sterilization, sanitation and safety standards set by the State Department of Health Services. Because this chapter does not carry its own fine schedule for body art, a violation of Sections 3651 through 3654 is enforced under the Code's general penalty at Section 1121, treated as a misdemeanor unless charged as a lesser infraction.