How to Open a Tattoo Shop in Minnesota: State Technician and Establishment Licenses

If you want to know how to start a tattoo shop business in Minnesota, the first thing to understand is that the state does not issue a general business license. Tattooing and body piercing are different. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) licenses them statewide under Minnesota Statutes chapter 146B. Two state licenses matter most: a technician license for each artist, and an establishment license for the shop. Local zoning and city body art rules sit on top of that.

This guide covers the steps in the order most owners should tackle them. It is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Entity formation, lease terms, and how your sales are taxed are areas where you should talk to a qualified attorney or CPA before you sign anything.

What Minnesota Actually Licenses

Minnesota has no statewide general business license. Filing Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State is a filing, not a license. Registering with the Department of Revenue for a Minnesota Tax ID and a sales and use tax account is a tax registration, not a license either. Other licenses are issued by trade or activity, by agencies such as the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, and the professional boards. The state's central lookup is License Minnesota (mn.gov/elicense), which lists required licenses by topic, agency, or an A to Z index.

For tattooing, you do not need to search across agencies for the core licenses. MDH issues both the technician and establishment licenses. Your city or township handles zoning and any local body art license.

Materials and Documents to Gather First

Pull these together before you file anything. Most delays come from missing paperwork, not from the state being slow.

• Articles of Organization (for an LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (for a corporation), if you form an entity.
• A name reservation, if you want to hold your entity name while you work through the rest of the steps ($55 for 12 months).
• A Certificate of Assumed Name, if the shop will operate under a name other than the legal entity name.
• A Minnesota Tax ID and a sales and use tax account.
• Proof that each technician is over 18.
• Written logs of supervised tattoo experience. Technicians need 200 hours. A piercer instead needs 250 directly supervised and 250 indirectly supervised piercings.
• Bloodborne pathogen and infection control coursework certificates, completed within the prior year.
• A signed lease or letter of intent, a floor plan, and written confirmation from the city that the site can be used as a tattoo establishment.
• A written sanitation and sterilization procedure and a plan for sharps and waste disposal.

Step-by-Step: Opening Your Shop Legally

Step 1: Check the Location and City Rules Before You Sign a Lease

Start here, because the location can change which licenses you need. Minnesota has 87 counties, about 853 cities, and about 1,780 townships. Zoning usually comes from the city. If your site is in an unincorporated area, township or county rules may apply instead, so ask them directly.

Ask the city whether it has a body art ordinance. Under Minn. Stat. 146B.02 subd. 9, a city whose ordinance meets or exceeds state law can replace the state establishment license. MDH lists these cities: Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, Minnetonka, Maplewood, and New Hope. In those cities, the city license replaces the state establishment license, but every technician still needs a state technician license.

City fees vary a lot. Minneapolis lists $231 for a tattoo establishment on its 2026 license fee schedule. Brooklyn Park charges $250 per year for body art according to its city page. Both figures can change, so confirm them with the city before you budget.

New or remodeled shops must meet local building and zoning codes. Get the city's written answer on whether your address works for a tattoo establishment, then check with MDH and the city before you sign the lease. A lease signed before this check is the most expensive mistake in this process because you may be stuck paying rent on a space you cannot open.

Step 2: Form Your Business Entity and Reserve the Name

Many owners form an LLC. The Articles of Organization cost $155 if you file online or in person, which is expedited service, or $135 if you file by mail, which is not expedited. The Secretary of State does not publish a guaranteed turnaround in business days, so build slack into your opening date.

Your LLC name must include the words limited liability company or the abbreviation LLC. It may not include corporation or incorporated, or their abbreviations. It must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records from every domestic LLC, LLP, corporation, and limited partnership on file or reserved in Minnesota (Minn. Stat. 322C.0108). Search the business records at https://mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/Search before you pick a name.

Minnesota requires a registered office, which must be a Minnesota street address. A PO box by itself is not accepted. The registered office does not have to be the shop address. A registered agent is optional for a Minnesota entity.

If the shop will trade under a name other than the entity name, such as a brand name, file a Certificate of Assumed Name. It costs $50 online or in person, or $30 by mail. Publication is also required. The certificate must be published for two consecutive issues in the legal notices section of a qualified legal newspaper in the county of your principal place of business. Failure to publish may render the certificate invalid. The state fee schedule does not include the newspaper's charge, so ask the paper for a quote. The certificate must be renewed each year at no charge.

An LLC or corporation does not need publication. Only the assumed name does.

Step 3: Register for Taxes Before Your First Sale

Register with the Minnesota Department of Revenue for a Tax ID and a sales and use tax account before you make taxable sales. The online registration is at https://www.mndor.state.mn.us/tp/eservices/_/?link=NewBusinessReg. The state sales tax rate is 6.875 percent, with local taxes on top.

Whether a particular service or retail item is taxable depends on what it is. Aftercare products and merchandise are common questions. Confirm the treatment of each item with Revenue or a CPA before you open. If you form a corporation, its franchise tax is a flat 9.8 percent for C corporations. An LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity passes income through to its owners, who pay the individual income tax at 5.35 to 9.85 percent. Minnesota has no separate LLC franchise tax, but a minimum fee under Minn. Stat. 290.0922 can apply to some entities. Ask your CPA how it applies to your structure.

Step 4: License Every Artist as a Technician

Each person who tattoos or pierces in your shop needs a state technician license from MDH, including you if you are working behind the chair. The technician license costs $420 and is issued for two years. The same fee applies to renewal.

To qualify, the applicant must:

• Be over 18.
• Document 200 hours of supervised tattoo experience.
• Complete bloodborne pathogen and infection control coursework within the prior year.

Piercers follow a different experience track, with 250 directly supervised and 250 indirectly supervised piercings. Keep the supervision logs signed and dated. A missing signature is a common reason applications stall.

Two lower-cost options exist for specific situations. A temporary technician license costs $240. A temporary guest artist license costs $140, which suits artists who work a visiting stint at your shop. Confirm eligibility for each with MDH before you rely on one for a booked date.

Step 5: Apply for the Establishment License

If your city does not replace the state license, the shop needs a state establishment license from MDH. It costs $1,500 and is valid for two years. Apply once the location is confirmed and you know which artists will work there, because the application connects the shop to its people and its address.

Confirm the current application form and attachments with MDH before you file. Requirements can change, and the agency's guidance is the controlling source.

If you plan to tattoo at a convention, fair, or other temporary event, a temporary event permit costs $200. Check with MDH whether your event qualifies before you book it.

Step 6: Build Out the Shop and Set Up Operations

Build and remodel to local building and zoning codes. If you are changing an existing space, get permits before construction and inspections before you open. Keep a written sanitation and sterilization procedure at the station, and keep copies of every technician's license, supervised hours log, and infection control certificate on file at the shop.

Set up your bookkeeping at the same time. Keep the LLC or corporation separate from personal accounts, and track sales tax on every taxable sale from day one.

Step 7: Calendar Every Renewal

Put these dates in your calendar on the day you get each license:

• LLC Annual Renewal: due December 31 every year. There is no fee if the LLC is active and in good standing. Missing the date results in termination of the LLC without further notice under Minn. Stat. 322C.0705. Reinstatement costs $65 by mail or $85 online or in person.
• Technician license: renews every two years at $420.
• Establishment license: two-year term at $1,500, or the city's schedule if the city replaces the state license.
• Assumed name certificate: renew each year at no charge.
• Temporary permits: apply for each event or guest visit.

Costs at a Glance

Item	Fee	Notes
Technician license (MDH)	$420	Biennial; same fee to renew
Temporary technician (MDH)	$240	Confirm eligibility with MDH
Temporary guest artist (MDH)	$140	Confirm eligibility with MDH
Establishment license (MDH)	$1,500	Two-year; not required where a city replaces it
Temporary event permit (MDH)	$200	Per event
Articles of Organization (LLC)	$155 online or in person; $135 by mail	Online and in person are expedited
Name reservation	$55	12 months, renewable
Certificate of Assumed Name	$50 online or in person; $30 by mail	Plus newspaper publication charge
LLC Annual Renewal	$0	Due December 31
LLC reinstatement	$65 by mail; $85 online or in person	Only if the LLC lapses
Minneapolis tattoo establishment (city)	$231	2026 license fee schedule; confirm with the city
Brooklyn Park body art (city)	$250 per year	Per city page; confirm with the city

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Signing a lease first. Confirm the city's body art and zoning answer, and check with MDH and the city before you commit.
• Treating the Secretary of State filing as your license. The LLC is a filing. The tattoo license still has to come from MDH.
• Assuming a city license covers the artists. In cities that replace the state establishment license, each technician still needs the state technician license.
• Skipping the DBA publication. A certificate that is not published may be invalid, which leaves the shop name unprotected on paper.
• Using a PO box as the registered office. Minnesota requires a street address.
• Letting an artist work before the license posts. Hold the first booking until each technician license is in hand.
• Undocumented supervised hours. Unsigned logs are a common reason applications are delayed.
• Missing December 31. The LLC can terminate without further notice if the annual renewal is missed.
• Copying another city's fees. Minneapolis and Brooklyn Park figures are examples, not a statewide schedule.

Expected Results

Done correctly, the process should leave you with an LLC in good standing, a tax registration, licensed technicians, a state-licensed establishment or a city license that replaces it, and a shop that meets local building and zoning codes. Those are the outcomes the steps above are designed to produce. They do not guarantee a timeline, a permit approval date, or a profit.

On the client side, tattoo inks are regulated by the FDA as cosmetics. Do not describe your inks, aftercare products, or procedures as treating, curing, or preventing any medical condition. Phrase results as what a client may experience with proper care, such as a clean, healthy healing process when aftercare instructions are followed. Results depend on the artist's skill, the client's skin, and the aftercare the client follows.

Next Steps and Official Resources

• Minnesota Secretary of State: https://www.sos.mn.gov/
• Minnesota Department of Revenue: https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/
• Minnesota Small Business Development Center Network (administered by DEED): https://mn.gov/deed/business/help/sbdc/
• License Minnesota: mn.gov/elicense

Start with the location and city check, then form the entity and register for taxes. Get your technicians licensed before anyone tattoos a client. The shop is the last piece, because it depends on the other steps.

This article is informational only. It is not legal or tax advice. Fees, thresholds, and rules change, and the agencies named above control the current requirements. For a lease, an entity structure, or the tax treatment of your sales, consult a qualified attorney or CPA.