What licenses and registrations do I need to start a tattoo studio in French Lick, IN?

Charles wrote: “I'll be tattooing out of the front of a building on family property, outside city limits, and living part time in the back or upstairs.”

Hi Charles, congratulations on Valley Ink Tattoo Parlor! Ink is lifelong art, and clients who love their first piece often return for more and bring friends to your chair. Below we walk through the three things every new business in Indiana sorts out (structure, tax IDs, and licenses) and then sum it all up.

Being outside French Lick's city limits may mean no city license, but Indiana still requires tattoo shops to meet sanitation rules, including inspection, sterilization, and proper waste disposal. Living in the same building is the tricky part: the tattoo area usually has to be fully separated from living quarters, with its own entrance. With three artists, make sure each one is registered.

What Valley Ink Tattoo Parlor needs

1. LLC (business structure) – An LLC shields your house, car, and savings from claims against the business, and it looks more established to customers and banks. A minor tattooed using a fake ID could lead to a serious claim, and an LLC keeps that liability with the business.
2. DBA (doing business as) registration – If you operate as a sole proprietor, or under a name different from your LLC's exact legal name, registering "Valley Ink Tattoo Parlor" lets you use it on signs, invoices, and your business bank account.
3. EIN (federal tax ID number) – You plan on 3 employees, so the federal tax ID number (EIN) is required for payroll, and you will also use it for the business bank account and supplier accounts.
4. Indiana sales tax permit (seller's permit) – Needed if you sell products alongside your service, and it lets you buy resale items tax-free.
5. Indiana employer ID – With 3 employees, you need a state employer account number for payroll withholding and unemployment insurance. It works like the EIN, but for state payroll taxes.
6. Business license – Most places require a local business license to operate, including home-based businesses. Check the rules where Valley Ink Tattoo Parlor will operate in French Lick, and ask about home occupation and zoning rules if you work from home.
7. Tattoo artist license – Most states or localities require tattoo artists to be licensed, often with bloodborne pathogens training.
8. Tattoo establishment permit – The studio itself typically needs a permit and passing sanitation inspections, even in rural areas.

By the numbers: Banks, insurers, and tax forms will ask for your industry code. For a tattoo studio it is NAICS 812199 (Other Personal Care Services). With 3 employees planned, you are already creating jobs in French Lick. That makes 8 items on your list.

Tip: Check county zoning even outside city limits, since some areas restrict where tattoo studios can operate and whether living quarters can share the building.

To recap: Valley Ink Tattoo Parlor in French Lick, IN needs an LLC, a DBA, an EIN, a sales tax permit for product sales, a state employer ID, a business license, tattoo artist license, and tattoo establishment permit. With the paperwork done, the fun part begins: serving your first customers.

BusinessNameUSA can prepare and file these registrations for you: start your order.