West Virginia Code Chapter 16. Public Health § 16-38-2. Studio sanitation

(a) The tattoo artist's hands shall be washed and then air blown or dried by single-use towel prior to beginning work on each person or when interrupted in the process of working on a person. In addition, disposable latex examination gloves shall be worn by the tattoo artist during the tattooing process. The gloves shall be changed and properly disposed of each time there is an interruption in the application of the tattoo, each time the gloves become torn or punctured or whenever the ability of the gloves to function as a barrier is compromised.

(b) Cabinets for the storage of instruments, dyes, pigments, single-use articles, carbon, stencils and other utensils shall be provided for each operator and shall be maintained in a sanitary manner.

(c) Bulk single use articles shall be commercially packaged and handled in such a way as to protect them from contamination. Storage of single-use articles may not be in toilet rooms or in vestibules of toilet rooms nor under nonpotable water lines or exposed sewer lines.

(d) Work tables and chairs or benches shall be provided for each tattoo artist. The surface of all work tables and chairs or benches shall be constructed of material which is smooth, light colored, nonabsorbent, corrosive-resistant and easily sanitized. The work tables and chairs or benches shall be sanitized with a germicidal solution after each tattoo application. All existing tattoo studios on the effective date of the administrative regulation shall be exempt from the required color of the work table.

(e) All materials applied to human skin shall be from single-use articles or transferred from bulk containers to single-use containers and shall be disposed of after each use.

(f) No pets, including working dogs, guide dogs or security dogs from a certified trainer, may be permitted in a tattoo studio workroom as defined in subsection (b), section four of this article.