Business Licensing & Operations in Chelsea, MA (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Chelsea, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Chelsea confines adult entertainment establishments to the Highway Business (BH) and Shopping Center (SC) districts and requires a special permit from the zoning board of appeals, capped at five years, under Code of Ordinances § 34-136. Operators must install sound barriers facing any adjoining residential parcel, and the code limits operating hours to between noon and 1:00 p.m.
Chelsea Adult Entertainment Special Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsChelsea Code of Ordinances § 34-136(f)
(f)General requirements. The construction or operation of an adult use shall be permitted in the BH and SC districts by the issuance of a special permit pursuant to these zoning ordinances. ... The term of the special permit shall be at the discretion of the special permit granting authority but shall not be greater than five (5) years. ... All adult entertainment establishments facilities or e...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Every tattoo, piercing or body-art studio in Chelsea needs a Board of Health establishment permit, and every practitioner needs a separate practitioner permit. The rules set an 18-year minimum for practitioners, require 45 square feet of station space per practitioner, and flatly bar body art on anyone under 14 except ear-lobe piercing.
Chelsea Body Art Establishment Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsChelsea Code of Ordinances, Appendix A § 3.2
1.Purpose and Scope. The purpose of the City of Chelsea Regulations for Body Art Establishments is to set forth adequate and reasonable health standards for the practice of body art within the city's jurisdiction. ... 4.Restrictions.(A)No tattooing, piercing of genitalia, breasts or nipples, branding, or scarification shall be performed on a person under the age of 18. ... Each body art station...
Tobacco Retail License
No one may sell tobacco products in Chelsea without an annual Tobacco Product Sales Permit from the Board of Health, and the city caps the total number issued citywide at 42. New adult-only retail tobacco stores must also clear fixed distance rules from other tobacco retailers and from schools.
Chelsea Tobacco Product Sales Permit Cap
Significant RestrictionsChelsea Code of Ordinances, Appendix A § 1.2.E
E.Tobacco Product Sales Permit:1.No person shall sell or otherwise distribute or offer for sale tobacco products, as defined herein, within the City of Chelsea without first obtaining a Tobacco Product Sales Permit issued annually by the Chelsea Board of Health. ... 8.Maximum Number of Tobacco Product Sales Permits.a.At any given time, there shall be no more than forty-two (42) Tobacco Product ...
Secondhand Dealers
Anyone who buys, barters or stores junk, old metal, rags or other secondhand articles in Chelsea needs a license from the Licensing Commission under Code of Ordinances Article IV. Dealers must log every purchase, cannot buy from minors, and cannot locate within 500 feet of a school.
Chelsea Secondhand and Junk Dealer License
Some RestrictionsChelsea Code of Ordinances §§ 14-108, 14-109, 14-112, 14-114
(a)No person shall purchase, barter, collect or store junk, waste materials, materials discarded by others, old metal, rags or other secondhand articles, for any purpose, without first having received a license to do so from the licensing commission. ... Every keeper of a shop for the purchase, sale or barter of junk, old metals or secondhand articles shall keep a book in which shall be written...
Pawnbrokers
Pawnbrokers and precious metals dealers in Chelsea must be licensed by the Licensing Commission under Code of Ordinances Article VI. Licensees must run video surveillance on all entry and exit points, hold purchased items 30 days, and charge no more than 3 percent monthly interest on loans over $25.
Chelsea Pawnbroker Licensing Rules
Some RestrictionsChelsea Code of Ordinances §§ 14-231, 14-234
(a)No person shall carry on a business of a pawnbroker without a license to do so issued by the licensing commission. ... (b)Inspections. The chief of the police department, the licensing commission and/or licensing administrator for the city, or any officer authorized by either of them, or a state police officer, may at any time enter upon the premises used by a licensed pawnbroker for the pur...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Chelsea's zoning table flatly excludes motor vehicle repair, washing and waxing establishments from every residential district, R-1, R-2 and R-3 alike, and any lawful shop elsewhere in the city still needs a separate license from the licensing commission.
Chelsea, MA Home Auto Repair Ban
Heavy RestrictionsChelsea Code of Ordinances §§ 14-169(a), 34-49(b), 34-300
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a business as a motor vehicle junk business, a motor vehicle repair shop, a towing operation, a parking lot and/or a parking garage within the city without first having obtained a license from the licensing commission in accordance with the provisions of this article. ... Y A permitted use N An excluded or prohibited use SP A use authorized unde...