Fullerton tattoo parlors face new rules

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Fullerton tattoo parlors face new rules
July 7, 2010
By ADAM TOWNSEND
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

FULLERTON – Stricter codes regulating tattoo parlors in Fullerton were adopted by the City Council Tuesday night.
The codes grandfather in the 18 existing tattoo parlors in the city, but mandate any new shops have a buffer between them and schools, residential areas and other tattoo parlors.

Future tattoo parlors in Fullerton will face stricter rules on where they can locate, but the existing shops will be grandfathered in under the current codes.
FILE PHOTO
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They would also be banned from industrial areas and the parlors' square footage would be limited to 3,000 square feet. But tattoo parlors still wouldn't need a special permit other than a business license, Senior Planner Jay Eastman said.
The Community Development Department, which enforces city codes, drew up the code amendments in response to complaints from some community members that there were too many parlors in the city.
In addition, Councilman F. Richard Jones said he was concerned about the possibility of disease spreading through dirty needles.
Jasen Ashley, the owner of In the Skin Tattoo, spoke to council. He said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspects his shop, and all the artists are trained and certified in handling bloodborne pathogens. Furthermore, he said the shop was equipped with the necessary sterilization equipment.
"My shop gets picked up through OSHA," Ashley said. "It's hard to spread disease... out of a tattoo shop, it's really strict."
The parlors were previously regulated under the personal service category, which includes businesses such as photo studios, barbers and travel agencies.
The new code creates a separate category for tattoo parlors, which allows the specific measures to regulate them.
Cheryl Leisenfelder of Fullerton said she's a customer of Ashley's and his shop is clean, but she also thought that there are too many tattoo parlors in the city.
"He's probably cleaner than my doctor's office," she said. "But 18 tattoo shops in Fullerton, that's too many."
Community Development Director Al Zelinka said that of about 10 nearby cities surveyed, the next highest number of tattoo parlors was nine.
Council voted unanimously to support the ordinance, which goes into effect immediately.