Each person who operates a tattooing and/or body piercing establishment shall comply with the following requirements:
A. The room in which tattooing and/or body piercing is done shall have an area of not less than one hundred (100) square feet. The walls, floors and ceiling shall have an impervious, smooth and washable surface.
B. A toilet shall be located in the establishment and shall be accessible at all times that the tattooing and/or body piercing establishment is open for business. A separate lavatory will be accessible to the operator to wash his/her hands prior to applying a tattoo or body piercing to a patron. The lavatory shall be supplied with hot and cold running water, soap and sanitary towels, and shall be cleaned and sanitized at least daily.
C. All tables and other equipment shall be constructed of easily cleanable material, shall be painted or finished in a light color, with a smooth washable finish, and shall be separated from waiting customers or observers by a panel at least four (4) feet high or by a door.
D. The entire premises and all equipment shall be maintained in a clean, sanitary condition and in good repair.
E. The operator shall wash his/her hands thoroughly with soap and water before starting to tattoo and/or body pierce; the hands shall be dried with individual, single-use towels. After washing his/her hands, the operator shall rinse his/her hands in seventy percent (70%) alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) or in an antiseptic solution approved by the Central District Health Department. The operator will then don new disposable surgical gloves, and shall wear them while in contact with the customer. Upon completion of his/her work on each customer, the operator shall dispose of the gloves by incineration or autoclave. The operator shall not perform service on more than one (1) person at a time; that is, he/she shall commence and complete or terminate services with a customer, prior to commencing work on another individual.
F. No tattooing and/or body piercing shall be done on any skin surface that has rash, pimples, boils, infections or manifests any evidence of unhealthy conditions.
G. In the event a tattoo, blemish, birthmark or scar is changed, removed, camouflaged, or altered, a record must be made and kept in the client's record.
H. Only disposable razors with a new, single-service blade shall be used on each customer or patron and then shall be sterilized and disposed of as soon as possible by incineration.
I. The area to be tattooed and/or pierced shall first be thoroughly washed for a period of two (2) minutes with warm water to which has been added an antiseptic liquid soap. A sterile single-use sponge shall be used to scrub the area. After shaving and before tattooing and/or piercing is begun, a solution of seventy percent (70%) alcohol shall be applied to the area with a single-use sponge used and applied with a sterile instrument. Sponges shall be disposed of by sterilization and incineration.
J. Only sterile petroleum jelly in single-service disposable containers, if available, or collapsible metal or plastic tubes, or its equivalent as approved by the Central District Health Department, shall be used on the area to be tattooed and/or pierced and it shall be applied with sterile gauze which shall then be discarded and disposed of by incineration or autoclave. Petroleum jelly or an approved alternate substance shall not be applied directly with the fingers.
K. The use of styptic pencils, alum blocks or other solid styptics to check the flow of blood is prohibited.
L. Inquiry shall be made of each customer, and anyone giving a history of jaundice, hepatitis, lymphadenopathy or lymphadenitis (swelling of lymph nodes) Aids (HIV+) positive, or a history of blood donation exclusion (for other than hypertension and immediate illness) may not be tattooed and/or body pierced. Inquiry shall be recorded on an appropriate form which shall be executed by the customer and operator, and retained by the licensee for a period of not less than three (3) years.
M. Single-service individual containers of dye or ink shall be used for each patron, and the container therefor shall be discarded immediately after completing work on a patron and any dye in which the needles were dipped shall not be used on another person. Excess dye or ink shall be removed from the skin with an individual sterile sponge or a disposable paper tissue which shall be used only on one (1) person and then immediately discarded and disposed of with other hazardous medical waste. After completing work on any person, the tattooed and/or pierced area shall be washed with sterile gauze saturated with an antiseptic soap solution approved by the Central District Health Department, or a seventy percent (70%) alcohol solution. The tattooed and/or pierced area shall be allowed to dry and sterile petroleum jelly from a single-service disposable container, if available, or from collapsible metal or plastic tubes, shall be applied, using sterile gauze. A sterile gauze dressing shall then be fastened to the tattooed area with adhesive and/or the pierced area as needed.
N. All tattoo and/or body piercing work shall be performed with a single-service sterile needle, which shall be disposed of immediately after use on one (1) customer by sterilization and incineration. The operator shall not remove tattoos, nor shall they be done over the site of obviously recent hypodermic injections. A single-service tube should be used in conjunction with a new needle. After use the tube shall be sterilized.
O. Operator is responsible for issuing after-care instructions for each body piercing.
P. No animals may be kept or allowed in the place of business at any time.
Q. Private residences or dwelling units are prohibited in the place of business unless the tattooing and/or body piercing operation is conducted in a separate and distinct location from the normal living quarters of a residential dwelling.
(Amended by Ordinance No. 8960, effective 3-9-2005)