Fresno Bee (05.06.12) - Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A law requiring California counties to enforce new safety
rules for tattoo and body piercing shops goes into effect July
1. Under the Safe Body Art Act, these businesses will be
subject to public health permitting, inspections and
standards. The law will impact nearly 200 shops in Fresno
County alone.
Currently, tattooing and body piercing are unregulated in much
of the state - meaning health inspectors do not ensure
equipment is sterilized, shops are clean or practitioners are
trained.
"This is long overdue," said Dave Olvera, manager of Tower
Tattoos in Fresno's Tower District. "Fresno is known for its
bad shops. There are people working out of their homes. I saw
a tattoo shop operating out of a gas station." A health
certificate from the county would reassure customers that
safety standards are in place, he said.
The law requires shops to obtain annual permits from county
health departments. It also requires individual practitioners
to register. As part of registration, practitioners must
undergo training on blood-borne diseases, get vaccinated
against hepatitis B, and have more than six months' experience
in their field.
Fresno County recently began mailing out notices about the law
to known body art practitioners; however, health officials
concede that others exist.