Smoke shops, tattoo parlors get regulated

Tobacco, smoke shops, body art studios and tattoo parlors seeking to locate in Bloomfield Township will need to receive special use approval under an ordinance approved on Monday, July 22 by the township's board of trustees.

Trustees voted unanimously to amend the ordinance overseeing such uses, which will now require special use permission from the township.

Under the updated ordinance, which was first introduced by the board in June, such businesses must be at least 750 feet from schools, places of worship, public parks, residential neighborhoods and other youth-orientated activities. The approved amendment also requires a 1,000-foot setback between properties requiring special use approval in order to prevent an overabundance or concentration of the businesses in one area.

The township already regulates similar uses, including massage parlors, pawnshops, secondhand dealers, precious metal and gem dealers, as well as other types of shops and stores.

The amendment defines smoke shops and tobacco stores as those dedicated to the sale, distribution, delivery, offering, furnishing or marketing of tobacco, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, as well as vapor products and tobacco paraphernalia and nicotine products. It doesn't include businesses that offer the sale of tobacco and tobacco-related products as ancillary items.

Body art facilities are those that primarily offer tattooing, body piercing, branding and scarification. The ordinance would exclude from special use regulation procedures that are considered medical by the state medical board or those affiliated with cosmetic surgery, hair or skin implants. The ordinance doesn't apply to beauty shops or other businesses that offer ear piercing or related services as secondary offerings.