LAYTON — When Micah Parker was being trained as a tattoo artist, she learned about two standards within the profession: cleanliness and precision.

During the first months of a two-year apprenticeship, Parker honed her skills at the first — learning to clean her shop and sterilize equipment. She couldn't tattoo until she demonstrated competence as an artist and knowledge of basic cleanliness.

"You just can't make a mistake," said Parker, owner of Micah's Twisted Tattoo Co. in Layton. The reasons: risk to reputation and the health and safety of a customer.

Parker says she prides herself on being a tattoo artist who is highly recommended. She's proud of the standard she has set for her shop and wants others to do the same.

On Wednesday, Parker will recommend to Davis County several safety rules she follows in her business during a public hearing on proposed regulations for "body art" businesses, including tattoo and piercing shops.

The regulations include annual permitting and fees, sanitation standards and record-keeping requirements.

"When we look at the issues in Utah in general, all of the counties surrounding Davis have evolved and developed regulations," said Lewis Garrett, director of the Davis County Health Department. "We don't want to be an unregulated island . . . We want to have the same protections as other counties."

When Parker opened her shop seven years ago, she approached the health department with a list of regulations Salt Lake County had adopted. They were rules any professional tattoo artist would follow, she said.

Davis just didn't have the rules in code.

For the most part, Parker is in compliance with the proposed rules. She may now have to post her permits in a prominent location and pay a "nominal" fee.

While Garrett says there are only three tattoo shops in Davis County, he hopes the rules will hinder artists who don't follow rules like Parker.

"They're following the spirit and intent right now," he said. "But as this county has grown in population and tattooing has become more of a mainstream activity, the potential (for non-compliance) grows."

On Tuesday, Fay and Randy Wilde were in Parker's shop getting tattoos. They've been in the store before and appreciate the quality, said Fay.

As Parker prepared to tattoo a rose-wreath on Fay's ankle, she snapped on black rubber gloves, covered her equipment in plastic and inspected the quality of her needle.

Every tool she used had been sanitized and placed in a sealed bag. As Fay watched, she explained why she comes back to the shop.