Some cities and municipalities also have gotten into the business of regulating body piercings. The purpose of the laws is to regulate staff training, ensure needle and establishment cleanliness, and prevent disease and infection. Still, the laws vary from state to state. New Mexico law requires that only a licensed medical practitioner can perform a body piercing while Pennsylvania regulates artists and facilities, though written consent of a parent or guardian is required. Oklahoma wants written and notarized consent, but in Illinois, piercers must carry liability insurance, become licensed and trained, undergo health inspections, and require those they pierce to have the consent of their parents if they are under-aged.
Some states require parents to tag along when their kids get pierced.
The businesses, which can be inspected by the city s Department of Public Health, also must meet safety and sterilization standards to be established by the department. Though ear piercings have been performed for decades with no legislation, the new regulations clearly are being passed because of oral piercings and frequently are based on horror stories from individuals who have incurred severe health problems as a result of oral piercings. Lawmakers say they are protecting the young, who generally don t check out the safety ramifications of their actions. They probably are right. A body piercing essentially is a surgical procedure, but there are no training schools or certification standards for piercers, says Terri Tiersky, a general dentist and lawyer who testified before a Chicago City Council committee about the dangers of oral piercings.