§ 5.10.030. Studio registration required.

A.

A studio registration shall be required for any studio where tattooing or the application of body art is performed. No studio shall be allowed to perform tattooing or the application of body art without first having obtained and paid for a valid registration from the permit official.

B.

The studio registration certificate shall be displayed inside the studio during regular operation of the studio and shall be visible for inspection by artists, clients and city officials.

C.

The registration requirements of this chapter do not apply to:

1.

a studio or temporary operation located within a medical facility which is licensed under another law, or an office or clinic of a person licensed by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners; or

2.

a facility in which only ear piercing is performed.

D.

A registered studio shall only employ and/or allow the use of its studio by artists in possession of a current, valid artist license issued by the City of El Paso, and must adhere to the following:

1.

The studio must at all times maintain and have available for inspection a list, on a form provided by the city, with the name of each artist employed by and/or allowed the use of the studio;

2.

Any artist no longer employed by or allowed use of the studio shall be recorded as a strikeout on the list; and

3.

Each strikeout shall be shown on said list for a period of two years from the date that the strikeout is made.

E.

Studio shall adhere to the following hygiene requirements:

1.

Studio shall maintain studio hygiene, public health and safety standards in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations.

2.

Studio shall supply, at minimum, one hand-washing station, in accordance with applicable state and federal law, and the following requirements:

a.

Hand-washing station shall be labeled with a permanent sign "HAND-WASHING ONLY" with black print letters at least two inches in height on a white background in a clearly visible location directly above the station; and

b.

Cleaning, sterilization or storage of supplies in or at the hand-washing station is prohibited.

3.

Studios offering or allowing branding in their facility must comply with all of the city, state and federal health and safety regulations applicable to tattooing and body piercing that are mentioned in Section 5.10.010 of this City Code.

F.

Studio shall offer to licensed artists only those supplies that conform to the hygiene, public health and safety standards required by applicable state and federal regulations, and may not, at any time, offer these supplies for use by an artist that is not in possession of a current, valid artist license as described in this chapter.

G.

Studio shall, at a minimum, conform to the following standards when storing supplies at the studio:

1.

Supplies shall be stored in accordance with manufacturer's specifications; and

2.

Supplies shall not be stored directly on the floor unless stored in a fully-enclosed storage container that is kept closed at all times when not adding to or removing supplies from container.

H.

No studio shall offer solely branding; branding shall only be allowed in a studio that also offers either tattooing and/or the application of body art other than branding.

(Ord. No. 17843, § 1, 7-31-2012, eff. 1-1-2013)