I guess its a free for all here

[gremlin]

Recently I called my local health department, about getting a license to Tattoo. The told me they did not have anything to do with that, and that they didnt even inspect tattoo establishments unless there is a documented complaint forwarded to them by a doctor. furthermore they directed me to the local department of agriculture, I asked why them and was told that falls under barbershops/beauty parlors in which they have jurisdiction. I then called the department of agriculture and they denied any regulatory controll over Tattooing. Later that week I was in a tattoo/pierceing shop picking up some jewlery with my wife and was told that in this county all you need is a buisness license and that was all. I asked in another Tattoo shop the next county over and they told me when we opened up 5 years ago we called the health department to inform them they opened a tattoo shop. The health department in that county basicly told them "so what" and have never contacted the shop for anything. I then called the local chamber of commerce and was told that a buisness license was 50.00 and I only need a buisness license if I made over a certain dollar amount a month and if it fell below that amount it was considered a hobby not a buisness.
Geez.... you have al heard of an endless loop, I guess the county I live in is the endless loophole :evil:

[Anonymous]

Ya it goes state to state , what state are u in ? I know in Oregon it is very strict . I had to do a full apprenticeship , and take a 2 hour exam at the state health licensing office when my apprenticeship was done and the instructor signed me off . But u take a 5 minute drive over the bridge to Washington , they have no regulation whatso ever ...

[gremlin]

Im in georgia, and from what I have gathered it not only goes state to state ,it goes county to county and city to city. a city not 20 miles from here has a no tattoo/piercing ordinance but you can still take your kid to get their ears pierced by an untrained wal mart employee with a plastic gun "sterilized" with a spray of windex. :twisted:

[gremlin]

the only laws i could find pertaining to tattooing in georgia was, you cant tattoo a minor (duh) and you can't tattoo within one inch of the eye. So I guess all the cosmetic tattoo shops in the state are breaking the law?

[voodoo]

break'n the law,break'n the law!! :twisted:

[thattt2guy]

I work in Jacksonville Fl, the laws here are a mix....no license is required on the individual artist, just a quick sterilization report that the shop owners give themselves, there is however a license for piercings, as far as the permits goes theres one for about $500 a year and another for about $50, a yearly inspection is required and they monitor infectious control pretty closely.
I worked in GA for 2 years and quite honestly I dont EVER remember seeing anyone from the dept of health, but that could have been cause i was just so damned good :D jk

[gremlin]

jacksonville, hmmmm I used to work as a bouncer part time while i was stationed out at cecil field. I used to bounce at Gypsy's on blanding, and at the "Out of site lounge" and "centerfolds".
Is there a tattoo artist named big george still around there? he used to work out of his house back in the late eighties. if i remember right it was off of edgewood or timaquana(been too many years). I met him through a biker friend named "T" who owned the local triumph chopper shop.
George got tired of the full time shop enviroment/ politics that was going on back then. I think he used to work at Inksmith and rodgers and dragon lady tattoo before he went underground. He does awesome work and did more than one tattoo on me. he had a son who was about 10 at the time could run a line with the best of them, he would be probably 30 or so now and if he is still tattooing he would be a master by now. that was 20 years ago and the colors and lines that george did are still hanging in. I would like to find him again he was an alright dude, the type that would actually teach you something for the sake of passing it on.

[thattt2guy]

George died a few years back....me and george worked together awhile...one of my first mentors in the biz, his son owns a shop in Kingsland ,Ga now, worked with him for awhile too, great guy really nice work.....the guy i work for now were the ones that started big city tattoo with george and tony raffiti<tony ripped them all off later, then died,haha>

[Preacher]

Hello,
Just make sure to call your local health department. If there are any regs they will have a book on them that you should be able to get for free. Stay Safe and Clean :!: :!: :D

[gremlin]

I hate to hear that about george, he will be missed. not only as a great artist but a great guy. A story about the type of guy george was. Back in the early eighties when a VCR would cost you about 400 bucks. george and his family weren't doing all that well in the cash department. they wanted a VCR. I was stationed in jacksonville and could buy a top of the line VCR for about 150 bucks at the PX. So I bought one and we traded some tattoo work for it. He originally was going to do a half sleeve, but by the time ge got done he had sleeved my whole arm for no extra charge. At the time I knew him he always tried to throw in a little extra.

[thattt2guy]

yea, he was good people, just the kinda guy he was....

[Janer]

Hi,

There is still State or Federal "OSHA" to follow depending on your state. Unless you are proven sole proprietor you need to have proof of annul BBP training. There is NO such thing as being "OSHA" certified. Just an FYI.

If you have even one employee (also applies to LLC) you must supply your employees with annual training. Inspections are rare and usually come from a pissed of employee.

Not a good thing to be on OSHA's bad side. I am an authorized "OSHA" outreach instructor and teach BBP to tattoo artist in my state.

[Blackmetal_13]

Live in michigan there are no stata laws or licences required.Counties can have tattoo oridances though.I called my local health department and they said there's never been a shop here there for they have no protacals.I aprenticed at a shop in another county over,and the shop owner there told me when he went to the health department they told him there was no oridances all he needed was a busines licences.He said he was like what?Youre telling me I can open up a shop with no running water and no disenfectant or sterlization equipment.Through my needles on the floor and just start tattooing,and they said yeah basicaly.The county tryed to pass an oridance and the shop I was aprentaceing at was behind them,but at the last minute the county said it would cost to much to make the proposal,and that it would'nt be profitable enough.lol

[ShadyOne]

I have been looking deeply into this recently here in Va. There are very few laws as well. But while digging I was directed to the barbers/cosmotologty board through some random website and I got ahold of them and there is such thing as a licence here and it requires a 3yr apprentice...I do not think any shops in the area have a licenced through the state artist though because I know almost all of them and most are less than 3 years experienced in a shop. I have been wondering if this is just an overlooked thing or what. I am goinna go talk to a few sometime but I doubt any will admit to not having a licence. And I still do not know if a licence is required as the state law makes no mention of it.

[Papa Gee]

This is an old thread but it's still current. Here in my little corner of Georgia we had a bit of a tattoo war with the city council recently.

Back in June of this year a man by the name of Kevin Keene applied for zoning to open a new tattoo studio in the city limits of Cartersville GA. He was denied the zoning on the grounds that "God doesnt want a tattoo studio open here". After Kevin left the zoning meeting the city council realized that what was said was illegal.(this was told to me by a zoning commisioner who attended the meeting) Seperation of church and state and all. So to cover their asses they rezoned all tattoo and body piercing "parlors" to what is known as "light industrial" district.

There is virtually no light industrial in C Ville. What is there does not posses a building suitable for a tattoo studio. We have one open tattoo studio on Main Streen here in C Ville. Apparently grandfathered in previous to the religous right taking control of our little burg. They dealt with him in the new ordinance by stating that any existing tattoo parlor if for any reason were to ever shut down for even one day, would have to reapply for their special consideration. Which will be denied forthwith.

This effects me because after tattooing at home for almost three years, I've been scouting locations for a shop in the area. I have a large clientele and all the equipment needed to open. Actually have the money to get things rolling. So now anyone wanting to do business here in C Ville will have to do so outside the city limits. At this point in time I have several possible locations scouted out but nothing solid. Hopefully I can find a location 10 feet outside the city limits. I want to stand on the side walk in front of my shop and flick cigarette butts into Cartersville.