Business Licensing & Operations in Parma, OH (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Parma, Ohio, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Parma requires anyone operating an adult arcade, bookstore, cabaret, theater, nude model studio, sex store, or sexual encounter center to hold a City-issued adult entertainment business license under Codified Ordinances Chapter 701, and every on-site employee must separately hold an employee license. Operating without one is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to $750 and 90 days in jail, and the City also enforces a 200-foot buffer from churches, schools, parks, and residential districts.
Parma Adult Entertainment Business License
Significant RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances Sections 701.04 and 701.19
701.04 ADULT ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS LICENSE REQUIRED. (a) No person shall: (1) Operate an adult entertainment business without a valid adult entertainment business license issued by the City pursuant to this chapter. ... (b) Any person who violates division (a)(1) above shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree and shall be fined not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750...
Massage Establishments
Parma requires a separate City-issued business license for every massage establishment location plus an individual massagist permit for anyone practicing massage. The Director of Public Safety vets applicants through Police, Fire, Building and the Cuyahoga County Health Department before issuing either credential.
Parma Massage Establishment License
Significant RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances 749.02 - Permit and License Required
(a) Business License Required. No person shall engage in or carry out the business of massage unless he or she has a valid massage business license issued by the City pursuant to this chapter for each and every separate office or place of business conducted by such person. (b) Massagist's Permit Required. No person shall practice massage as a massagist, employee or otherwise unless he or she ha...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Parma requires anyone operating a tattoo or body-piercing business to hold an annual license from the Safety Director, backed by a $250 non-prorated fee and a mandatory pre-license inspection. Licenses expire every December 31 and the Safety Director can deny, suspend or revoke one for noncompliance.
Parma Tattoo & Body Art Establishment License
Significant RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances § 777.03 — License required; fees
(a) No person shall operate a body art establishment without first obtaining a license to engage in such business in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and any applicable state statutes and codes. (b) An application for a license to operate a body art establishment shall be made annually to the Safety Director on forms prescribed and provided by the City. The applicant shall submit ...
Tobacco Retail License
Parma restricts smoke and vape shops, defined in the Zoning Code as any retailer devoting twenty percent or more of its floor, shelf or display space to tobacco, nicotine, CBD, kratom or electronic smoking devices, to the Commercial Manufacturing "A" and "B" Districts, and the Planning and Zoning Code caps the total number citywide at one such store for every 10,000 residents.
Parma Smoke & Vape Shop Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsParma Zoning Code §§ 1121.455 and 1170.03
“Smoke shop” means any retail establishment at which twenty percent or more of floor, shelf, and/or display area(s), individually or in the aggregate, is used for the sale of the following type of products: ... (2) Any product containing, made of, or derived from tobacco or containing any form of nicotine that is intended for human consumption or is likely to be consumed, whether smoked, heated...
Secondhand Dealers
Parma requires anyone buying or selling used goods, from electronics to furniture, to license as a secondhand dealer with the Director of Public Safety. Chapter 626 excludes secondhand clothing stores, bars accepting goods overnight, requires a photographed registry of every item taken in, and mandates daily reporting to LeadsOnline.
Parma Secondhand Dealer Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances §§ 626.01(c), 626.02(a), 626.05
“Secondhand dealer” means any person, including owners, agents, and employees, engaged in the business of purchasing or selling goods of any kind or description, having once been used or transferred from the manufacturer to the dealer and then received into the possession of third parties, including but not limited to iron or other metal, furniture, electronics, electronic games, articles of ho...
Pawnbrokers
Parma requires every pawnbroker to hold an annual license from the Director of Public Safety before lending against pledged property. Chapter 626 of the Codified Ordinances defines a pawnbroker as anyone charging over 8% annual interest on pledges, mandates fingerprinting and background checks for owners and employees, and sets fixed license fees renewed every December 31.
Parma Pawnbroker Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances §§ 626.01(b), 626.02(a), 626.06(a)
“Pawnbroker” means any person, including owners, agents, and employees, engaged in the business of lending money on deposit or pledges of personal property, other than securities, printed evidence of indebtedness, titles, deeds, or bills of sale, at a total charge, rate of interest, or discount or other remuneration in excess of 8% per annum... Beginning January 1, 2009, every junk dealer, pawn...
Towing Companies
Parma keeps a rotation list of approved garages for police-ordered tows: the nearest listed garage is called first under Section 303.11, and any business that tows vehicles in the City must letter its name, address and phone number on every tow truck under Section 303.18.
Parma Police-Ordered Towing & Wrecker Rules
Some RestrictionsParma Codified Ordinances §§ 303.11, 303.18
303.11 PRIORITY OF GARAGES. Whenever a car is required to be towed or impounded, or both, the member of the Division of Police in charge shall phone the garage on the designated list nearest to the scene of the car. If the phone call is not answered or the garage is unable to respond to the call, then the member shall phone the next nearest garage on the designated list. ... 303.18 IDENTIFICATI...
Looking for Cuyahoga County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Parma city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Cuyahoga County →