News Brief
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has passed an ordinance regulating the body art industry to prevent infection among those receiving tattoos or piercings.
The new regulations will allow the Department of Environmental Health to ensure that those who practice body art properly disinfect work stations between clients, know how to use and sterilize equipment and assimilate client information before and after the procedures. The county will charge a yearly permit fee and issue permits to the businesses. Those found violating the new ordinance and endangering the health and safety of the public or practitioners can have enforcement action taken against them. The new regulations cover registration, permitting, compliance and inspections of body art facilities and practitioners, and complaint responses from the general public.
The Department of Environmental Health will be responsible for applying the ordinance, and will begin implementing its first phase, the education phase, during May and June. Inspection of facilities affected by the ordinance will begin in July.
