Lexington County, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Zoning Ordinance § 21.10 groups tattoo parlors and body piercing studios with barbering, laundromats, beauty care, dry cleaning, and the repair of personal apparel under the Personal Convenience Services land use classification, expressly excluding shops that work on motor vehicles, structures, or engines from the category. Because it is a defined principal activity, a tattoo or piercing studio cannot open in Lexington County's unincorporated area without first securing a zoning permit under § 171.10, issued only after the Zoning Administrator confirms the use is allowed in the applicable district under the Schedule of Permitted Uses in §§ 21.30-21.31.

Parking is fixed by § 22.20: a Personal Convenience Services use must provide one off-street parking space for every 200 square feet of gross floor area, the same ratio applied to other convenience businesses such as beauty salons and dry cleaners. That is a minimum; § 22.20 directs parking ratios for multiple activities combined on one tract to be calculated separately per activity and added together, so a shop sharing space with another use needs to meet both ratios.

Lexington County does not run a separate body-art licensing scheme in its own code; a tattoo or piercing studio is also subject to South Carolina's statewide tattooing regulations administered by DHEC, which sit outside this zoning ordinance entirely. Locally, the zoning permit issued under § 171.10 is valid for two years and can be extended in five one-year increments, and a fee set by County Council under § 171.30 is due before the permit issues, unless the Zoning Administrator deems a fee unnecessary for enforcement.