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

Woodland Municipal Code § 17.144.010 defines a 'Tattoo/Body Modification Parlor' as an establishment whose principal business activity is either using ink or other substances to permanently color the skin with needles or similar instruments, or piercing the body to insert jewelry or other decoration. The Zoning Code's use tables place this use within the 'Personal Services' group alongside massage establishments and general personal services, and § 17.84.290, Personal Services, sets the operating standards that apply. Hours of operation for personal service establishments, including tattoo parlors, are limited to 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., unless a use permit specifies different hours; that general hours cap does not apply to massage establishments, which are governed separately.

The Director can also require additional review through a Zoning Administrator Permit to evaluate impacts on surrounding properties. Tattoo and body modification parlors are not allowed to operate as a home-based business anywhere in the city: § 17.84.200, Home Occupations and Cottage Food Operations, lists 'Tattoo studios' among the uses for which 'a home shall not be used,' alongside other incompatible businesses such as junkyards, mortuaries, and welding shops. A tattoo parlor therefore needs a commercial location approved for the Personal Services use category, subject to whatever permit level applies in that zoning district's use table.

The Zoning Administrator and Director enforce these provisions under Chapter 17.128, Enforcement, and operating a tattoo studio out of a residence, or outside the hours permitted for personal service establishments, is treated as a Zoning Code violation.