All tattoo and/or body piercing studios shall comply with the following regulations:
(A) General.
(1) The tattoo and/or body piercing studio must be a permanent, nondwelling building located in a B Business District and shall not be located within 1,000 feet of a church, school, or the property line of a lot devoted to residential use. The 1,000 feet regulation is not applied for a Cosmetology establishment as defined by the Texas Administrative Code offering Intradermal Cosmetics.
(2) The hours of operation shall be posted on the front door of the facility.
(3) All areas of the facility where tattooing or body piercing is done shall be well lighted.
(4) The facility will at all times meet the requirements of the city's electrical, plumbing and fire codes.
(5) The owner or operators will permit inspection of the facility by the health authority during any period the facility is in operation.
(6) The owner and any operator shall not perform tattooing or body piercing if he or she is infected with a contagious disease. The health authority may require the owner or operator to undergo a physical examination, conducted by a physician, to prove the absence of disease. The expense of the examination will be borne by the owner or operator.
(B) Sanitary regulations.
(1) The facility shall provide for operators and clients a restroom containing a properly installed and maintained water closet, a lavatory with hot and cold running water, single service towels, and soap.
(2) Walls, floors and ceilings shall be kept clean and in good repair.
(3) The building shall be kept free of insects and rodents.
(4) All operators when tattooing shall proceed with tools and equipment that have been properly sterilized and kept in a sterile condition. Tools and equipment used on one client must be sterilized before use on the next client.
(5) Equipment and tools shall be sterilized by one of two methods:
(a) Dry heating in an oven at a temperature of 320° Fahrenheit for at least one hour; or by
(b) Steam pressure treatment in an autoclave.
(6) All needles and instruments, when not in use, must be kept in a clean, dust-tight container.
(C) Operational regulations.
(1) No person under 21 years of age may be tattooed. The operator shall be held responsible for determining the correct age of the person requesting a tattoo.
(2) No person under 18 years of age may have their body pierced (ears excepted) without parental consent. The operator shall be held responsible for determining the correct age of the person requesting body piercing.
(3) The operator shall maintain a permanent log of all persons tattooed in the facility. Included in the log shall be the person's name, age, address and date. The log shall be available for inspection upon the request of the health authority or law enforcement officials.
(4) Tattoos or body piercing shall not be administered to any person discernibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
(5) The following persons shall not be tattooed or have body piercing; and determination of these conditions shall be the responsibility of the operator:
(a) Those having a skin rash, pimples or other skin irritations;
(b) Those infected with a communicable disease; and
(c) Those having had jaundice or hepatitis within the past 12 months.
(6) The owner and operators shall practice aseptic techniques.
(7) The owner shall report to the health authority, as soon as it becomes known, any infection resulting from tattooing or body piercing.
(Ord. 889, passed 3-11-03; Am. Ord. 1195, passed 10-4-22)