“Tattoo businesses operate unique hours,” he said. Most open at noon or after and stay open until 10 p.m. or later. “The peak hours I probably miss.”

Records for the past five years show follow-up inspections are missing for nine incidents in which the health department found violations, most between 2006 and 2007, a period when the department experienced major staff shortages and turnover, Schumm said.

Tattoos are no longer identified with bikers, sailors or convicts. Sports commentators during the Olympics repeatedly made mention of Woodburn resident and Olympic gold medalist Lloy Ball's tattoos on each arm that bear the names of his two children. Tattoos are seen on the small of the back of teen girls wearing low-cut jeans and belly shirts. Moms toting toddlers in one arm and pushing babies in strollers with the other have flowers or crosses on their ankles or calves.

“We see more women coming in these days than men,” said Barry Craig, a tattoo artist at Grade A Tattoos and Body Piercing, 3620 N. Clinton St., who has been in the business 12 years, including two as an apprentice in Michigan.

Despite their increasing popularity, Allen County's decision in 2001 to adopt an ordinance regulating tattoos makes it unlike most Indiana communities. Although the state has a statute for tattoo shops, each county must adopt its own rules and enforcement methods. No one in Allen County can legally give a tattoo without a permit. A business permit costs $295 annually, an artist's permit $65.

The county health department also requires artists and body piercers to annually get training on blood-borne pathogens (BBP) to prevent the spread of infections and diseases.

Since 2003, 22 citizen complaints and one from a doctor have been filed against tattoo/piercing businesses in the county. The health department investigated each complaint and in the vast majority of cases, found no violations.

For example, in August 2005, a citizen complaint was lodged against Ultimate Art (now South Side Tattoos), 3230 S. Clinton St., alleging a tattoo was done too deeply by an artist operating without a permit. The inspector - it was not Schumm at the time - found the artist in question had purchased a temporary permit as a guest artist, which the health department allows. The depth or quality of the tattoo itself does not fall under the responsibilities of the health department.

Five citizen complaints in the last five years have been filed against Artistry in Ink, 1425 N. Wells St., including one in 2004 alleging the business was boiling and reusing needles during a special $5 piercing event. Needles must be single-use only. Although the inspector found the person running the autoclave, which sterilizes reusable equipment, had not completed the county-required training, the inspector found no other violations during the investigation, which occurred a day after the piercing event.

Many shops sterilize reusable equipment such as the tubes that are filled with dye and are attached to the needles. The autoclave used to sterilize the equipment must be “spore tested” monthly by an outside source to ensure it is effectively and accurately working. Six of Allen County's 21 tattoo/body piercing shops have only single-use equipment and do not sterilize supplies onsite.

Schumm recommends patrons ask to see spore-testing results before getting tattoos or body piercings at businesses that operate autoclaves.

“I treat everybody like they have MRSA (methicillin-resistant staph aureus) or hepatitis. I tell them it's nothing personal,” Craig said, noting his past experience as an EMT has been helpful.

“Even though we have people fill out a medical form that asks if they have an infectious disease, they will always mark no. I guarantee that,” he said.

Tattoos or body piercings are prohibited for children under age 18 without a parent's written consent, given in person. Two forms of ID must be presented by all patrons, including the consenting parent.

Jacque Gould, owner of Grade A Tattoos, recalled a young teen coming into her shop a few days ago for a tattoo or piercing. The girl admitted she was 13 and said the woman accompanying her was her mother.

“But she said her mother didn't bring any ID. I said ‘we cannot help you,'” Gould said, adding that someone, somewhere, probably gave her the tattoo or body piercing she wanted.

The health department has issued nearly 10 violations for failure to have two forms of ID in their records. Parents of minors filed two complaints, one against Artistry in Ink and one against Studio 13, 4720 Parnell Ave., alleging their children received a piercing or tattoo without parental consent. The subsequent investigations, however, found no records at the businesses of the minors' names so no violations were cited. Yet both businesses in the previous year were cited for incomplete records.

Tattoos and body piercings are likely to remain popular, particularly among teens and young adults. Surveys show about one in every five college students today has a tattoo, Schumm said, noting wise consumers know that getting a tattoo is not the final step. After-care of the resulting wound is just as important. Reputable places will have detailed, printed instructions.

Craig's final advice: “If you have any doubts about getting a tattoo, don't do it.”