New Tattoo Parlor Proposed For Lake Elsinore

UPDATE: Click here to read how the planning commission voted on this project.

Rooster Tattoo Art and Body Piercing LLC may open in Lake Elsinore, but there are still hurdles to overcome.

An application for a conditional use permit filed by Brett Beale to open the body art facility in suite C-1 of the Lakeside Commercial Center located at 16782 Lakeshore Drive comes before the Lake Elsinore Planning Commission on Tuesday night.

According to city documents, Beale proposes eight tattoo stations and a piercing room in the shop that would be sandwiched between the stores known as Video 94 and the Indoor Shopping Bazaar. The proposed parlor would feature six tattoo artists and one licensed body piercer, the documents show.

Rooster would be open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the documents.

In 2011, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that more tightly regulates body artists operating in unincorporated areas and in cities that do not have health agencies.

Under the ordinance, body art operators must obtain a county permit before opening their doors, must establish "exposure containment'' plans that prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS or hepatitis, and allow regular inspections by county personnel.

Individuals who have been convicted of any type of sex crime will be prohibited from operating a body art facility, and no business can be set up within 1,250 feet of a park, school "or other such locations where minors routinely congregate,'' according to the county ordinance.

The ordinance also mandates that no one under 18 years old be allowed to receive a tattoo or body piercing without the authorization of a parent or legal guardian. Shop owners will have to demonstrate adherence to sterilization procedures for body-piercing and tattooing equipment and ensure used products are properly discarded. Violators will be subject to suspension or revocation of their permits and face fines up to $500.

The ordinance was drawn up about a year after the county's grand jury criticized the Department of Environmental Health for a laxity in holding tattoo parlors and other body art businesses to tough standards.

According to the grand jury report, applications furnished by the department often failed to ensure that permanent cosmetics providers passed a safety class, obtained a facility permit, established an exposure containment plan and retained a copy of the county's health code.