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September 11, 2008

Regulations coming to body art businesses

Jamie Jones

Whether it’s a school cafeteria or a fast food joint, food venues in Whitfield County are inspected by the county environmental health department at least twice a year.

Now, businesses that perform body art — tattoos, permanent cosmetic procedures and piercings — will soon be under similar scrutiny. The Whitfield County Board of Health on Thursday voted 6-0 to approve regulations concerning sanitation, sterilization, training, permitting and inspections of body art businesses.

The regulations are effective Jan. 1, 2009. There will be an education period and some businesses will be “grandfathered” into the regulations as long as they don’t impact public health, said Ray King, director of environmental health for the North Georgia Health District.

Bruce Broadrick, a local pharmacist and chairman of the board of health, said the regulations are “fair” and “meet the goals of protecting public health.”

“I think that an establishment, if it got that certification and a clean inspection, it would be an enhancement to their business,” Broadrick said.

Officials with the health district, which includes the Whitfield County Board of Health, are setting guidelines for body art businesses in the six-county district, which also includes Murray County. Each local board of health must pass the regulations. Officials with the state of Georgia have left local boards of health to establish body art regulations because there are currently few statewide laws for these businesses.

King said the process has gone “smoother than I expected.”

Representatives from the health district held a public hearing last month to answer questions about the regulations. Three people from local tattoo businesses attended and were generally supportive of the guidelines. The regulations affect two businesses in Murray and 10 in Whitfield.

“Most of the stuff, I don’t have a problem with,” said Melicio Mata, a tattoo artist with Inkus Tattoos in Dalton.

Each body art business will be inspected twice a year. There will be no fee for those inspections. The businesses will be rated on a scale similar to food venues. Inspection reports must be posted, too. The permit fee for each establishment is $300, while individuals pay $50 to be licensed.

There are currently no fines for violating the regulations. Since the board of health doesn’t have the power to fine, King will ask the Dalton City Council and Whitfield County Board of Commissioners to adopt the regulations as an ordinance. That will give the city and county the ability to take businesses that are out of code to Magistrate Court.

Copies of the regulations are available at no charge at the county environmental health office at 1407 Burleyson Drive.

A public hearing will be held by the Murray County Board of Health on the regulations on Nov. 7 with the vote there expected on Nov. 17. The time and location of that public hearing have not been announced.

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