diff --git a/pandas/io/json/_normalize.py b/pandas/io/json/_normalize.py
index aa14c3f3a63f3..c80b197214fc8 100644
--- a/pandas/io/json/_normalize.py
+++ b/pandas/io/json/_normalize.py
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ def nested_to_record(
 def _json_normalize(
     data: Union[Dict, List[Dict]],
     record_path: Optional[Union[str, List]] = None,
-    meta: Optional[Union[str, List]] = None,
+    meta: Optional[Union[str, List[Union[str, List[str]]]]] = None,
     meta_prefix: Optional[str] = None,
     record_prefix: Optional[str] = None,
     errors: Optional[str] = "raise",
@@ -265,21 +265,21 @@ def _pull_field(js, spec):
     elif not isinstance(meta, list):
         meta = [meta]
 
-    meta = [m if isinstance(m, list) else [m] for m in meta]
+    _meta = [m if isinstance(m, list) else [m] for m in meta]
 
     # Disastrously inefficient for now
     records: List = []
     lengths = []
 
     meta_vals: DefaultDict = defaultdict(list)
-    meta_keys = [sep.join(val) for val in meta]
+    meta_keys = [sep.join(val) for val in _meta]
 
     def _recursive_extract(data, path, seen_meta, level=0):
         if isinstance(data, dict):
             data = [data]
         if len(path) > 1:
             for obj in data:
-                for val, key in zip(meta, meta_keys):
+                for val, key in zip(_meta, meta_keys):
                     if level + 1 == len(val):
                         seen_meta[key] = _pull_field(obj, val[-1])
 
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ def _recursive_extract(data, path, seen_meta, level=0):
 
                 # For repeating the metadata later
                 lengths.append(len(recs))
-                for val, key in zip(meta, meta_keys):
+                for val, key in zip(_meta, meta_keys):
                     if level + 1 > len(val):
                         meta_val = seen_meta[key]
                     else:
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 84b3f9409b9ba..1a946fa03346b 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -313,9 +313,6 @@ check_untyped_defs=False
 [mypy-pandas.io.json._json]
 check_untyped_defs=False
 
-[mypy-pandas.io.json._normalize]
-check_untyped_defs=False
-
 [mypy-pandas.io.json._table_schema]
 check_untyped_defs=False