Albany County modernizes codes and updates laws for tattoo artists

ALBANY COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - County officials unveiled a new local law Wednesday in hopes of revitalizing businesses in downtown Albany, specifically tattoo parlors, and making it easier and more affordable to run a tattoo shop and be a tattoo artist in Albany County. The county changed sanitation codes, officials say were outdated.

The new codes will allow the use of a medical grade waterless hand sanitizer instead of requiring a sink at every tattoo booth. The law also reduced fees for artists by five dollars; the annual fee for tattoo shops and individual artists from $180 to $175; and the temporary tattoo artist permit fee from $75 to $50.

Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, along with Albany County Legislator Samuel Fein, said it’s been a three year effort to make the changes, and that it involved working with the health department.

"It's just another thing that we can do to support small businesses," McCoy said. "Because these small business tattoo parlors, that are all over our great city of Albany, and Albany County, their own by usually individuals or one like Trag, who is here today and a couple other of them. But again, we want to support them, saying we're here, were in your corner, we support them. We're here to give you what you wanted, and we made the change to make it happen."

The new regulations also made it possible for artists from around the nation to participate in a tattoo convention called Dead Man's Hand Tattoo Expo going on from October 25th-27th at the Albany Capital Center.