Business Licensing & Operations in Woodbury, MN (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Woodbury, Minnesota, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Woodbury confines principal adult uses to the FD-3 freeway special impact district under a special use permit, keeping them 1,000 feet from other adult uses, residential districts, schools, and places of worship, and bars operation between 1:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. most days.
Woodbury Adult Use License & Spacing
Significant RestrictionsWoodbury City Code Sec. 11-304
Adult use-principal businesses shall be permitted in the FD-3 freeway special impact zoning district subject to the issuance of a special use permit and subject to the following requirements: (a) An adult use-principal business shall not be allowed within 1,000 feet of another existing adult use measured in a straight line from the buildings. (b) An adult use-principal business shall not be loc...
Massage Establishments
Woodbury requires both a massage therapy business license and an individual massage therapist license, with 500 hours of accredited training, $300,000 liability coverage, and a 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. closing requirement under Chapter 11, Article XIV.
Woodbury Massage Therapy Business License
Significant RestrictionsWoodbury City Code Sec. 11-501
Massage therapist licensed required. It is unlawful for any person to practice therapeutic massage therapy or provide or offer to provide massage therapy within the city without a license therefore issued by the city. Massage therapy business license required. It is unlawful for any person or entity to operate a massage therapy business within the city without a license therefore issued by the ...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Woodbury will not license a tattoo or body-piercing operation inside a residential dwelling: City Code § 24-263(e)(7) lists 'beauty salons, barber shops, nail, tattoo and body piercing, and similar operations' among the home businesses prohibited outright, alongside massage and gun-powder or explosives businesses in the same subsection.
Woodbury Bans Home Tattoo Businesses
Heavy RestrictionsWoodbury City Code § 24-263(e)(7)
(5)Businesses utilizing gun powder or explosives.(6)Massage.(7)Beauty salons, barber shops, nail, tattoo and body piercing, and similar operations.(8)Equipment and supply rental.
Tobacco Retail License
Woodbury requires every retailer selling tobacco, tobacco products, or nicotine or lobelia delivery devices, including e-cigarettes, to hold a city clerk-issued license under City Code Sec. 11-18, running annually from April 1 to March 31, with no license available to mobile or moveable businesses.
Woodbury Tobacco and E-Cigarette Retail License
Significant RestrictionsWoodbury, MN City Code Sec. 11-18
No person shall sell or offer to sell any tobacco, tobacco products, tobacco related devices, or nicotine or lobelia delivery device without first having obtained a license to do so from the city clerk....(c)Term. All licenses issued under this article shall be valid for one year running from April 1 through March 31....(f)Moveable place of business. No license shall be issued to a moveable pla...
Secondhand Dealers
Woodbury licenses precious metal dealers, those buying secondhand items containing gold, silver, or platinum, through the police department, requiring daily reports on jewelry and watches and a two-week hold before resale.
Woodbury Precious Metal Dealer License
Significant RestrictionsWoodbury City Code Sec. 11-400; Sec. 11-410(r)
Precious metal dealer: Any person engaging in the business of buying coins or second-hand items containing precious metal, including, but not limited to, jewelry, watches, eating utensils, candlesticks, and religious and decorative objects... Holding period for precious metal dealers. Any item received by a precious metal dealer for which a report to the police is required under subsection (c) ...
Pawnbrokers
Woodbury requires a police-issued pawnbroker license, a $1,500 investigation deposit, daily photograph or video ID of every seller, a 30-day resale hold, and set hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. under Chapter 11, Article XII.
Woodbury Pawnbroker License Requirements
Significant RestrictionsWoodbury City Code Sec. 11-402; Sec. 11-410(f)
No person shall exercise, carry-on, or be engaged in the trade or business of pawnbroker or precious metal dealer within the city unless such person is currently licensed under this article... Holding period for pawnbrokers. Any item sold or pawned to a pawnbroker for which a report to the police is required under subsection (c) of this section shall not be sold or otherwise transferred for 30 ...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Running an auto repair shop out of a Woodbury home is flatly illegal: City Code § 24-263(e)(3) lists 'Repair shop of any kind' among the home businesses the city prohibits outright, with none of the case-by-case exceptions retail sales, manufacturing or personal vehicle sales get in the same subsection.
Woodbury Bans Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsWoodbury City Code § 24-263(e)(3)
(e)Prohibited home businesses:(1)Retail sales. Exception: Sales consistent with subsection 24-263(a) and approved by the zoning administrator. (2)Manufacturing. Exception: Manufacturing consistent with subsection 24-263(a) and approved by the zoning administrator. (3)Repair shop of any kind.(4)Vehicle sales. Exception: Incidental sales of personal vehicles limited to no more than three per 12-m...
Towing Companies
Woodbury contracts with private towing companies rather than running its own impound lot. City Code § 15-32 requires the contracted towing company to take immediate possession of police-ordered impounds, notify the department, and get police authorization before releasing any vehicle; § 15-33 sets the redemption fees and 30-day public-sale process for unclaimed vehicles.
Woodbury Towing Company Impoundment Rules
Some RestrictionsWoodbury City Code § 15-32(a)-(b)
(a)The council may contract with one or more persons, to provide to the city the towing services required to enforce all ordinances and state laws.(b)The towing company shall take immediate possession of any vehicle duly ordered impounded and ticketed for any traffic or parking violation and shall tow such vehicle to the car pound. No such vehicle shall thereafter be released without authorizat...
Looking for Washington County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Woodbury city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Washington County →