DeLAND, Fla. — A recent change in an old ordinance will allow tattoo parlors to open in DeLand.
For several decades, city codes kept parlors from operating within city limits.
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Area artists, including Brittany Arizona, approached the city and asked for those rules to change.
“I tried to open my shop three years ago in the city and I kept running into roadblocks and I realized there were these ordinances and they were making it impossible,” Arizona said.
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Commissioners agreed to eliminate a section of the ordinance that forced studios to have large setbacks from the street.
They also agreed to remove a distance requirement between shops.
Arizona is now working to open The Alter Tattoo next to the Athens Theater as soon as next month.
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Most people are fine with the changes but do believe the city should regulate the number of parlors allowed.
“If there is like one or two that is fine but if there are like six or seven, I could see where the problem would be,” said Lucas Drennen, who visits DeLand often.
City Spokesperson Chris Graham said people shouldn’t worry about too many parlors coming to the area.
“We have a 98 percent occupancy rate in downtown DeLand. So the chances of two shops opening next to each other is slim,” Graham said.
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