By Staff
This past week, the Planning Commission unanimously approved regulations that would allow for tattoo services on a limited basis in Old Town Monrovia. This determination concluded a long period of study and review that began in the fall of 2017, when the City received a request to consider amending the Monrovia Municipal Code (MMC) to allow for tattooing services in Old Town.
Currently, tattoo parlors are conditionally permitted to operate only in the heavy commercial and industrial zones in the City. The restrictive nature of the City’s regulations is based on issues that other jurisdictions have had with the use. Furthermore, in the last 25 years, the City has not received any conditional use permit (CUP) applications for tattoo parlors.
After much deliberation and review, the Planning Commission voted to approve tattoo operations on a limited basis in Old Town, with the following rules and restrictions:
-Tattoo operations will only be allowed in Old Town as an accessory use with an approved minor conditional use permit. Pursuant to the MMC, an accessory use is secondary to the main or primary use of a business, which means that the tattooing operation cannot be the primary business in operation at any location.
-Any business proposing an accessory tattoo operation in Old Town will be required to submit written consent from the property owner and primary business owner; locate their operations towards the rear of the tenant space and away from the street level; and limit the hours of operation and number and visibility of tattoo stations.
-The proposed regulations approved by the Planning Commission also provides for the establishment of additional conditions and regulations on specific tattoo use proposals through the conditional use permit process.
Additional information related to this matter, including the staff report for the item, can be found online. Given the determination made by the Planning Commission, the overall issue will now come before the City Council on July 3 for a final review.
