The Business Of Tattoos, One Year Later

Thursday, November 1st 2007, 6:31 pm

By: News On 6

It has been one year since tattooing became legal across Oklahoma. One Tulsa tattoo business owner says the first year has not been an easy one for his business. Cliff James with Eyewitness Tattoos says several shops have shut down because of two main elements: a $100,000 surety bond required by the state and a law that required shops to be located 1,000 feet from a church.

A judge has since found both of those rules as unconstitutional.

As for concerns about cleanliness, James says most tattoo shops try to follow the standards set by other states where tattooing has been legal for a longer period of time.

"We police ourselves very, very well as far as not being made to, but we have to look better than your dentist because we're scrutinized harder,â€ said Cliff James.

Jamesâ€™ biggest complaint comes with how the state health department regulates tattooing. He says many of the state rules are vague.

Watch the video: A Year Of Tattooing

Related stories:

10/30/2006 Tattooing to Become Legal In Oklahoma

1/11/2007 Tattoo Artists Complain About Licensing Procedures

2/19/2007 Red Tape Threatens Oklahoma's Tattoo Parlors

5/7/2007 State To Appeal Ruling On Tattoo Parlors