Nicholas County Health Department permits and annually inspects tattoo studios and body piercing studios according to W.Va. Code § 16 - 38 and W.Va. 64 C.S.R. 80 respectively.
Tattoo studios are any room or space where tattooing is practiced or where the business of tattooing or any part thereof is conducted. West Virginia defines tattooing as marking or coloring the skin by pricking in coloring matter so as to form indelible marks or figures or by the production of scars. Nicholas County Health Department may issue a tattoo studio permit after the submission of an Application for a Permit to Operate and payment of appropriate fees. Nicholas County Health Department must conduct an initial inspection prior to issuance of a permit. Mobile tattoo studios are not permissible in West Virginia. Tattoo artist do not require certification.
Body piercing studios are any person engaged in production of permanent holes by piercing or puncturing any part of the body with instruments intended to leave an opening in body tissue into which an appropriate device may be inserted. Needles, needle bars, needle tubes, forceps, hemostats, tweezers, pliers, or other instruments may be use in the production of permanent holes. Piercing equipment also includes any studs, hoops, rings or other decorative jewelry, materials or apparatuses inserted into permanent holes. Licensed health care providers, and persons using mechanized, per-sterilized systems for piercing the outer lobe of the ear are not considered body piercing studios.
All body piercing technicians must:
- Register for certification with the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health with payment of appropriate fees.
- Obtain exposure control training.
- Either obtain Hepatitis B vaccination or certify declination of Hepatitis B vaccine.
Nicholas County Health Department may issue a body piercing studio permit after the submission of an Application for a Permit to Operate, submission of operational plans and payment of appropriate fees. Nicholas County Health Department must conduct an initial inspection prior to issuance of a permit.
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