An exact date has not been set for the hearing, but it will be updated on the city’s website. Once the hearing takes place, City Council can officially vote on any ordinance or zoning changes, officials said.
A city zoning ordinance dating back to 2001 states that tattoo shops in Plano are only allowed as an addition to a personal service shop, such as a beauty or piercing studio. The city defines tattooing as “the practice of producing an indelible mark or figure on the human body by scarring or inserting pigment under the skin using needles, scalpels or other equipment.”
The Plano Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously during its March 21 meeting to hold the public hearing. Commissioners indicated during the meeting that they were in favor of allowing solo tattoo shops to open in the downtown area with certain regulations. Currently, there are no tattoo shops located in downtown Plano.
Commissioner Bennett Ratliff said he lives around downtown and feels like residents are open to tattoo shops being allowed.
“Nobody seems to have a problem with it," he said. "I think we have got to figure out how to write the language so there are some fairly tight guidelines of where [tattoo shops] can be located and how many we can have.”
According to a study presented by city staff, the cities of Garland and Grand Prairie allow two tattoo shops to operate at the same time in their downtown areas while Richardson has no limit on the number of tattoo businesses allowed. The cities of Frisco, Arlington and McKinney do not permit tattoo shops to operate in their respective downtown areas.
“Tattoo parlors are not a bad neighbor, but they do need to be slightly controlled,” Commissioner Arthur Stone said. “You do not want three in a row all in the same block.”
During a May 10 meeting last year, council repealed an ordinance that required regular permitting and inspection of tattoo and body piercing facilities in the city. Council determined those requirements were unnecessary as the Texas Department of State Health Services already had a similar ordinance in place.
Plano city staff indicated they may conduct further studies on the effects of tattoo shops around downtown or near residential neighborhoods before the public hearing takes place. The entire March 21 planning and zoning meeting can be viewed here.
