Aurora requires business licenses, medical provider for tattoo parlors
The eight tattoo parlors in Aurora will be regulated by $500 nontransferable business licenses that govern their hours, ages of employees and access to medical advice after the Aurora City Council on Tuesday night approved the creation of such a license.
While several tattoo studio operators said they support city regulations, others said they took issue with how quickly the business license and its accompanying requirements were imposed.
A couple of changes to license requirements were made just hours before the Tuesday vote, after staff from Mayor Tom Weisner's office met with a group of tattoo shop owners.
Instead of requiring shops to close at 10 p.m., the regulation allows tattoo artists to take until 11 to finish tattoos for customers who entered before 10. And applicants will have to prove they have access to a medical provider or service with expertise in tattooing instead of requiring tattoo parlors to having to provide a letter stating they have a doctor on call.
"I agree that the city needs some ordinances put in place in regards to tattoo shops," said Kelly Lemezis, who owns Don's Downtown Ink at 78 S. Broadway Ave. with her husband. "I feel that the physician part of the ordinance was kind of rushed through this morning, and I did not receive the actual written copy until 2:30 this afternoon. I've not had an opportunity to fully do my research to see if we can fully comply."
The change to the on-call doctor requirement is a compromise that still promotes the health and safety of the tattoo-seeking public, said Ed Sieben, the city's zoning administrator.
"We realized it may be too difficult and too onerous or problematic for the establishments to find an on-call doctor," Sieben said.
But showing access to a medical service that can provide training about blood-borne pathogens and sterilization of equipment meets the city's intent of making sure tattoo establishments are operating safely, he said.
Aldermen made one other change to the license requirements after hearing from a 20-year-old apprentice tattoo artist, one of 11 people who spoke about the regulations.
Instead of prohibiting anyone younger than 21 from giving tattoos, aldermen amended the license requirement to say employees 18 and older can work as apprentices and do body art under the watch of an established tattoo artist.
The regulations were passed in three parts Tuesday night with Alderman Rick Lawrence and Mayor Weisner absent.
Alderman Richard Irvin voted against all three parts - an ordinance creating the business license, which passed 9-2; a resolution setting the fees for the license, which passed 10-1; and a resolution establishing the maximum number of available licenses at eight, which passed 9-2. Alderman Al Lewandowski joined Irvin in voting against the licenses and the maximum number but voted in favor of the fees.