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

Yorba Linda's zoning code defines "tattoo parlor" in Section 18.04.210 as a business that provides body art both permanent and temporary and includes body piercing. That definition feeds directly into Table 18.12-1, the Commercial Land Use Matrix adopted under Section 18.12.050, which sorts every commercial use across the City's three commercial zones: Commercial-Office (C-O), Commercial-Neighborhood (C-N) and Commercial-General (C-G). Under that table, a tattoo parlor is marked with the prohibited-use symbol in both the C-O and C-N zones, so a tattoo studio cannot open in an office park or a neighborhood shopping center regardless of size or hours.

The only zone where a tattoo parlor can operate is C-G, and even there it is listed as a conditional use rather than a use permitted by right. Section 18.12.050 states any use not listed in the table is considered prohibited outright, underscoring how narrowly the matrix is meant to be read, and it further states that uses in the table are permitted only subject to the referenced permit criteria. Getting a conditional use permit in the C-G zone means going before the Planning Commission, the same body that reviews conditional uses across the commercial code, rather than obtaining a permit administratively from Community Development Department staff.

Because the code treats a tattoo parlor as a distinct listed use rather than folding it into general "retail/service business," which is separately marked permitted across all three zones, an applicant cannot rely on a general retail classification to open a tattoo studio; the conditional-use requirement in C-G controls.