Licenses and certificates
Body art license
Sanitation and safety standards
- Hennepin County provides sanitation and safety standards for the regulation of body art establishments and conducts plan review and licensing of facilities that provide tattoos, body piercings and/or permanent makeup operations.
- Prevention of injury and disease is the goal of inspections and consultation with licensed artists at these facilities.
- Operators may be subject to complaint investigations and enforcement, to ensure compliance with county ordinance.
- Operators also must have a state-issued license to perform tattooing, piercing or permanent cosmetic tattooing.
- Minnesota Department of Health body art regulations
City-county inspection jurisdiction
Cities where Hennepin County is responsible for regulating body art establishments
- Brooklyn Center
- Champlin
- Chanhassen (Hennepin County part only)
- Corcoran
- Crystal
- Dayton
- Deephaven
- Eden Prairie
- Excelsior
- Golden Valley
- Greenfield
- Greenwood
- Hanover
- Hassan
- Hopkins
- Independence
- Long Lake
- Loretto
- Maple Grove
- Maple Plain
- Medicine Lake
- Medina
- Metro Airport
- Minnetonka Beach
- Minnetrista
- Mound
- Orono
- Osseo
- Plymouth
- Robbinsdale
- Rockford (Hennepin County part only)
- Rogers
- St. Anthony
- St. Bonifacious
- St. Louis Park
- Shorewood
- Spring Park
- Tonka Bay
- Wayzata
- Woodland
Cities with their own inspections departments
- Bloomington, 952-563-8934
- Brooklyn Park, 763-424-8000
- Edina, 952-927-8661
- Minneapolis, 612-673-2170
- Minnetonka, 952-939-8200
- New Hope, 763-531-5100
- Richfield, 612-861-9700
Forms
New licenses
Learn about Hennepin County Environmental Health plan review fees and application in the form below. For questions call 612-543-5200.
Plan review and initial license 2026 (PDF, 1MB)
Events
Hennepin County licenses and inspects body art special event booths within our inspection jurisdiction. Operators must have a state-issued license to perform tattooing, piercing or permanent cosmetic tattooing. Please review the application and FAQ regarding the body art special event licensing process.
Body art special event licensing application 2026 (PDF, 1MB)
Body art special event frequently asked questions (PDF, 1MB)
Minnesota Department of Health information and applications
Body Art - Minnesota Department of Health
Body Art Technician Licensing - Minnesota Department of Health
Contact
M-F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.