City code specifically forbids tattoo shops in any of Heber’s commercial areas.
One resident, Julie Franklin, told the Heber City Council Feb. 4 her daughter spent time and money to get approval from the health department for a “body art” shop, only to discover the city wouldn’t give her a business license.
“However, the law doesn’t state why – it doesn’t state anything; just says tattooing prohibited,” she said.
She said it’s past time for Heber to reconsider the rule.
“Thirty percent of every single person in this United States has gotten a tattoo once in their life,” she said. “You probably know several people who have tattoos. It’s not the same demographic that we wrote this law for – we’re not just having criminals, bikers.”
Franklin said body art doesn’t just include tattoos – it can also mean piercings or microblading for brows. And she said these things should be taken seriously as a form of art.
Right now, she said business owners in Heber offer those services under a spa license, but she wants to see the city make tattoo shops legal.
As city planner Jacob Roberts explained, there’s no place tattoo artists have permission to operate, but some use a loophole in the code.
“It’s not listed as being allowed in any zones, so it’s de facto prohibited in every zone,” he said. “There is one kind of odd back door, where it technically could be a home occupation – there’s nothing prohibiting a tattoo shop from operating out of a residential home.”
But he said that isn’t an ideal setup because licensed tattoo shops require a high standard of health and safety guidelines.
“In talking with the people who are involved with this, they really believe that home occupation is not a good location for a tattoo parlor because of sanitation rules that are required there,” he said. “Maybe it can be more regulated, and they can get their business license, pay their taxes, be a part of the business community here in the city.”
Oakley Franklin, who wants a license for her body art business, spoke up to agree.
“There’s kids, there’s pets, there’s dogs, higher potential for contamination – I mean, it’s really, really a bad idea,” she said. “I think something that’s really good to consider is maybe allowing just some tattoo shops or studios to run inside salons, maybe, instead of having them individually.”
As a first step toward potentially changing the code, the Heber Planning Commission will discuss the city’s tattoo shop policy Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Any recommendations made by the commission would need to be brought to the city council for consideration.
To listen to Tuesday’s planning meeting, visit the city website.
