Kenosha council votes to reduce spacing rule for tattoo and piercing shops after split votes

Kenosha — The Common Council on July 7 approved an amendment to city zoning rules that reduces the required spacing between tattoo and piercing establishments from 1,000 feet to 750 feet, following a contentious public hearing and two roll-call votes.

Proponents who spoke during the public hearing said the existing 1,000-foot spacing is outdated and harms small-business owners. "I believe there should be no distance ordinance," said Brianna White, owner of Peach Toe Tattoo LLC, who told the council she invested more than $25,000 in renovations and was denied occupancy under the current measurement rules. Her co-owner, Jamie Walden, and other local tattoo artists described training, hygiene standards and the economic benefits of allowing additional licensed studios.

The council first voted on a motion to "concur with the City Plan Commission recommendation" to deny Ald. Kenny Harper’s proposed change; that motion failed in a roll call that recorded 12 No votes and 2 Yes votes (Kurt Wilson and Dominic Ruffalo). After that failure, a second motion was made to "concur with the Public Safety and Welfare Committee recommendation" to approve the ordinance change. That second motion carried on roll call, 14 Aye, 1 No (Kurt Wilson), and the ordinance amendment proceeded.

Why it mattered: Supporters said reducing spacing would allow new local entrepreneurs to open shops, keep customers and dollars in Kenosha, and is consistent with modern tattoo-industry norms. Opponents — including aldermen who supported keeping the spacing while the mayor’s zoning review committee evaluates citywide rules — cautioned against changing a distance requirement to solve a single-business situation and urged broader review of zoning policy.

What happened at the meeting: Multiple business owners, including White and Jamie Walden, described financial investments and a measurement mistake that left them out of compliance. Javier Figueroa, a local artist and Marine Corps veteran, and Hunter Daniels and Todd Walden also testified in favor of reducing the distance requirement, citing industry modernization and community economic benefits. During council debate, members clarified procedure — whether voting to concur with City Plan’s recommendation (to deny) would stop the ordinance change or whether a separate motion accepting the ordinance would be required.

Next steps: With the council action to amend the spacing requirement, the ordinance change will be incorporated into the city code as directed by the motion. The mayor and the zoning committee were referenced repeatedly as continuing actors in a broader review of zoning rules citywide.

Attribution: Direct quotes and vote tallies in this article come from public testimony and the roll-call votes recorded on the July 7 council meeting transcript. Speaker attributions in this story are drawn from the transcript's self-identifications and introductions (for example, Brianna White and Jamie Walden identified themselves and their business affiliations at the microphone).