A town ordinance in Howell could jeopardize business for tattoo and body piercing shops.

Howell Township is eyeing an ordinance that would put new restraints on tattoo and piercing parlors while also mandating higher insurance and new licensing fees. Under the ordinance, shop owners would need to be on hand at all times parlors are open. Shops would also be required to take out a $1 million insurance policy and pay a $1,000 licensing fee each year.

The township says the ordinance is designed to protect customers, but shop owners say the ordinance is way out of line.

"I would have to maim somebody, you know ? run after somebody with a tattoo machine and stab them in the eye or something for $1 million," says Troy Chartier, owner of South Side Tattoos. Chartier would have to pay $13,000 more a year for the added liability coverage the ordinance would demand.

Chartier believes his industry has been unfairly targeted.

"We're not drug dealers or bike gangs," he says. "Those types of shops are all in the past."