Cheyenne committee backs home-occupation ordinance changes; adds apprenticeship ban for body art in residences

The Cheyenne Public Services Committee on May 19 voted to recommend that City Council adopt amendments to the Unified Development Code tightening rules for home occupations, including specific limits on animal grooming, salons and body‑art services and a new prohibition on apprenticing in residential body‑piercing and tattoo operations.

Planning staff said the ordinance is on third reading and that two substitute drafts were circulated. Connor White of the Planning and Development Department told the committee the substitutes differ mainly on whether animal‑grooming and body‑art operations must be operated only by a resident of the property and how boarding kennels are handled; both versions remove “massage parlor” and bar parking business vehicles or trailers in the right of way.

The committee adopted the substitute dated May 9 and then approved an amendment to the substitute that adds the phrase “or apprenticing” to the prohibition in the body‑art section so that “if employing or apprenticing anyone other than the permanent residence of the property” would be disallowed in residential areas. The committee discussed that apprenticeship is common in body art and piercing and may not involve pay; the amendment’s sponsor said the intent is to prevent a nonresident apprentice from operating in a home zone.

Councilman Mark Moody (Cheyenne City Council, Ward 3) spoke in favor of moving the May 9 substitute forward. There were no public speakers on the item. A committee motion to approve the May 9 substitute, as amended, carried by voice vote; the packet’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for consideration on Monday night.

The revisions affect sections cited in the ordinance packet as parts of the Unified Development Code (sections referenced in the staff report: 1.4 0.31 0.4 0.4 and 5.7 0.22). The committee discussion clarified that boarding kennels were placed in a separate line in the May 9 substitute and remain prohibited as home occupations, while salons, massage therapy and animal grooming in residences are limited to operation by the resident (and, now, excluding apprentices in the body‑art category).

City staff and committee members framed the change as a regulatory clarification to preserve residential character while allowing some limited home‑based businesses under stricter conditions. The ordinance will return to City Council with the committee’s recommendation and the May 9 substitute language plus the apprenticeship amendment.

The committee record shows no motion or vote against forwarding the amended substitute; the item will be considered by the full council at the next meeting.