Okaloosa County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Tattoo & Body Modification (2026)
Key Facts
- Sign size required
- 18 in. tall by 24 in. wide
- Sign approval
- Okaloosa County Sheriff
- Lettering size
- block letters, 0.5 in. minimum
- Health contact printed
- (850) 833-9247
- Remedy for non-posting
- injunction as public nuisance
Summary
Okaloosa County Code § 15-3 does not license tattoo shops; it requires anyone who sells or applies a temporary (henna-type) tattoo in the county to post an 18-by-24-inch FDA warning sign approved by the sheriff, or be enjoined as a public nuisance.
(b)Each person offering the sale and application of a temporary tattoo to the skin of a person within the county boundaries, and the person or business, if any, employing such person to temporarily tattoo the skin, shall conspicuously display a notice as more particularly described in subsection (c) below, for inspection by law enforcement officers and health inspectors, and failure to display such notice for any reason shall be deemed sufficient grounds, without more, to enjoin such person and such employer, if any, from engaging in further temporary tattooing as a public nuisance.(c)The notice required by this section shall be not less than 18 inches in height and 24 inches in width, as approved by the county sheriff, and shall contain the following text in block style letters no less than one-half inch in height: "THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION STATES THAT THE USE OF HENNA, A COLORING FROM A PLANT, IS APPROVED FOR USE AS A HAIR DYE ONLY. HENNA MAY CAUSE SKIN IRRITATION OR OTHER HARMFUL SKIN REACTIONS."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23).
Full Breakdown
Section 15-3 of the Okaloosa County Code, adopted by Ord. No. 08-05 in 2008, singles out temporary tattooing, defined as placing designs on the skin with a chemical or dye that temporarily colors it, regardless of the tool used. Anyone who offers to sell or apply a temporary tattoo within the county, and any business that employs them to do so, must conspicuously display a notice for inspection by law enforcement officers and health inspectors. The notice must measure at least 18 inches high and 24 inches wide, be approved by the Okaloosa County Sheriff, and print the FDA's warning in block letters no smaller than half an inch: that henna is approved only as a hair dye, may cause skin irritation, and that anyone with an adverse reaction should see a physician and report the injury to the Okaloosa County Health Department at (850) 833-9247.
The ordinance does not set up a licensing or permitting scheme for tattoo or piercing businesses generally; it is narrowly a point-of-sale disclosure rule tied to temporary, non-permanent tattooing. Permanent tattoo studios in Florida are instead licensed and inspected by the Florida Department of Health under the state's Body Piercing and Tattooing statutes, which sit outside this county chapter.
Violations & Fines
Failing to display the required 18-by-24-inch notice for any reason is, by itself, sufficient grounds under § 15-3(b) for the county to seek an injunction against the operator and their employer, treating the unposted temporary-tattoo business as a public nuisance. The section does not set a separate fine schedule; the county's remedy is injunctive relief through the courts rather than a citation, and Code Enforcement or the Sheriff's Office may refer a non-compliant operator for that civil action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Okaloosa County license tattoo parlors?
What must a temporary tattoo sign say in Okaloosa County?
What happens if a vendor doesn't post the required sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Okaloosa County
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