Tattoo Parlor Permit Requirements in Bismarck, ND

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner — Sales and Use Tax Permit

   Required for any business selling taxable goods or services in North Dakota. The state sales tax rate is 5% for most retail sales, and cities and counties may levy additional local sales and use taxes that vary by location — check the Tax Commissioner’s local tax rate listings for your address. Apply for the permit in ND TAP, the state’s Taxpayer Access Point.

   Official government source

   Free·Apply through ND TAP at least 30 days before you open for business, as the Tax Commissioner advises.

   Free

   Apply through ND TAP at least 30 days before you open for business, as the Tax Commissioner advises.

2. Bloodborne Pathogen and Infection-Control Compliance (Body Art)

   North Dakota's tattoo and body art rules (ND Administrative Code article 33-41) do not require every artist to complete an approved bloodborne pathogen training course renewed annually. Instead, the body art operator must be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and vaccinated against hepatitis B, and must ensure everyone working at the establishment initiates the hepatitis B vaccination series or documents immunity or declination. The establishment must handle contaminated waste and sharps in compliance with OSHA's bloodborne pathogen standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030. A body art establishment license is separately required, with an annual fee of $135 under NDAC 33-41-01-10(5).

   Official government source

   No fixed state training fee. Costs are CPR certification and hepatitis B vaccination for staff; the separate body art establishment license is $135 per year.·CPR certification is typically a half-day course; the hepatitis B series takes several months to complete.

   No fixed state training fee. Costs are CPR certification and hepatitis B vaccination for staff; the separate body art establishment license is $135 per year.

   CPR certification is typically a half-day course; the hepatitis B series takes several months to complete.

1. Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health — Body Art Establishment License

   Body art in North Dakota — tattooing, piercing, microblading, cosmetic tattooing, branding and scarification — is regulated under NDAC article 33-41. In Bismarck the license is issued by Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health's Environmental Health Division, which licenses and inspects every body art establishment inside the city limits under Title 8 of the Bismarck Code of Ordinances. The application requires a scaled floor plan, proof each artist is at least 18, hepatitis B vaccination documentation and CPR certification for artists, aftercare instructions, and autoclave/ultrasonic equipment details. The license issues only after a passing pre-operational inspection. North Dakota does not license individual tattoo artists.

   Official government source

   $165 body art establishment license fee payable to Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health (2026 application). Where no local health unit runs the program, ND HHS charges the NDAC 33-41-01-10(5) annual fee of $135.·2–6 weeks

   $165 body art establishment license fee payable to Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health (2026 application). Where no local health unit runs the program, ND HHS charges the NDAC 33-41-01-10(5) annual fee of $135.

   2–6 weeks

2. No General Business License in Bismarck

   The City of Bismarck states plainly that it does not presently have a general business license. Certain occupations do require a license or permit specific to that use — building permits, food service, gaming, liquor sales, excavation and concrete work, taxi operations, and Fire Department permits among them — and the State of North Dakota licenses some occupations separately. Check whether your specific activity is regulated rather than assuming a general license applies. There is no City Clerk business license.

   Official government source

   No fee — Bismarck issues no general business license. Activity-specific permits carry their own fees.·Not applicable

   No fee — Bismarck issues no general business license. Activity-specific permits carry their own fees.

   Not applicable

Official Sources

• North Dakota Department of Health — Tattoo/Body Piercing Establishment Permit
• City of Bismarck City Clerk

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