Worcester County, MD Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)

Section PH 1-103 requires two approvals. The business needs a valid tattoo establishment permit from the County Commissioners, and each person who tattoos needs a valid tattooing license and must work under the direction of and in the presence of a physician or osteopath. Tattooing is allowed only at a permitted establishment, and the section applies only in the areas of the county outside incorporated municipalities.

Applications go to the department the County Commissioners designate, with a fee set by resolution of the County Commissioners. A permit application lists the ownership type, business name and address, personal details for the applicant, officers and manager, and proof that the supervising physician or osteopath is authorized to practice in Maryland. A license applicant must supply a written statement from a different physician who examined the applicant within thirty days and believes the applicant free of all communicable diseases. The Health Department inspects and sends a written report to the Commissioners within ninety days, extendable for good cause, and the Commissioners act within thirty days of receiving the application and report. Permits and licenses last three years, cannot be transferred, and must be displayed in an open and conspicuous place.

Subsection (n) sets establishment standards: a tattooing room of not less than one hundred square feet with impervious, smooth and washable walls, floors and ceiling; a toilet and lavatory with hot and cold running water; equipment separated from waiting customers by a panel at least six feet high or by a door; and a steam autoclave for needles with exposure to live steam for at least thirty minutes. Patron records must be kept not less than two years. No one under eighteen can be tattooed, nobody under the influence of alcohol, drugs or controlled dangerous substances can be tattooed, and alcoholic beverages are prohibited on the premises. Body piercing falls under separate § PH 1-107, which bans branding, cutting and scarification.