(a) Any owner of a body piercing studio who does not obtain a West Virginia business registration certificate, who does not register with the local board of health, or who fails to request an inspection pursuant to section three of this article is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, for a first offense, may have all of the body piercing equipment and paraphernalia confiscated and shall be fined $100.

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 16-37-5

  • board: means a board of health serving one or more counties or one or more municipalities or a combination thereof. See West Virginia Code 16-1-2
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Offense: includes every act or omission for which a fine, forfeiture, or punishment is imposed by law. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10

(b) For a second offense, which is a misdemeanor, the owner may have all of the body piercing equipment and paraphernalia confiscated and shall be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 or be imprisoned in the county or regional jail for not less than ten days nor more than one year, or both fined and imprisoned.

(c) For a third offense, which is a misdemeanor, the owner shall have all the body piercing equipment and paraphernalia confiscated, shall be fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000, or be imprisoned in the county or regional jail not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or both fined and imprisoned.