CITY HALL — Bringing the city in line with state laws, aldermen moved Wednesday to drop the legal age to get a tattoo from 21 to 18, but banned minors under 18 from tanning salons.
The City Council also stipulated that those under 18 must get parental permission to get tongue studs and any other piercings in the mouth and "oral cavity."
Following through on an ordinance amendment passed last week by the Health Committee, the City Council approved the changes Wednesday.
Many tattoo parlors weren't even aware of the city's 21-year-old age limit for tattoos when Mayor Rahm Emanuel first submitted the changes in December.
Gerrin Butler of the Department of Public Health testified there was no health reason not to drop the age of consent for tattoos, but that tanning for younger teens posed a cancer risk.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
