Body artist may soon be allowed to operate legally in downtown Jamestown.

On Tuesday, the city Planning Commission approved recommending a local law to change the city’s zoning to allow for tattoo salons in Neighborhood Commercial, Community Commercial, Central Business-Downtown, Central Commercial and Multiple-Family Residential and Professional Office zoned districts of the city.

Currently, the city’s zoning code only allows for tattoo businesses to be located in service and highway commercial, light manufacturing and manufacturing zoned areas of the city and not in the downtown area.

Crystal Surdyk, city development director, said city officials started discussing the possibility of a zoning change for tattoo artist following Ellen DiTonto, city Zoning Board of Appeals chairwoman, attending a city Planning Commission meeting in December asking the commission to update the zoning code to possibly allow for tattoo parlors downtown. In November, the zoning board denied a use variance to a tattoo artist to locate a business along Fourth Street because the city’s zoning code doesn’t allow for that type of business in the downtown area.

Ben Haskin, city associate counsel, said the new commercially zoned areas were selected to allow for tattoo parlors because these sections of the city are where hair salons are allowed to operate. He said hair salons and tattoo parlors are “parallel” types of businesses.

John LaMancuso, commission member, said the commission should also make a recommendation on defining a tattoo parlor in the zoning code because currently there is no definition. He suggested maybe they should be referred to as body artist, which would also allow for body piercing professionals to operate.

Greg Rabb, commission chairman, said both of the recommendations approved by the commission will now go before the Jamestown City Council for final approval.

The next voting session of the council is Monday, Aug. 31.