COLUMBIA - Tattoo artists are ready to make their mark in South Carolina now that Gov. Mark Sanford has signed a bill to make the industry legal.

But it could take several months before tattoos can be offered to the public because the state must approve health regulations.

The governor said he supported lifting the ban on tattoos as long as it protected public health.

"I wanted to go over this bill in detail to make sure those precautions were definitely in place, and I'm confident they are," Sanford said in a statement Thursday.

For years, Horry County legislators said they feared tattoo parlors would spring up along Ocean Boulevard, but Myrtle Beach has passed regulations that limit parlors to the same kind of districts that body-piercing shops can occupy.

Supporters have been trying to pass the law for 11 years, saying it is necessary to protect public health.

Some also pointed out that body piercing is legal, so it made little sense to maintain the ban on tattooing.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control must draft regulations, get approval from its governing board, hold public hearings and send the new rules to the legislature, which returns in January.

The law requires tattoo artists to use disposable needles and get a parent's permission for anyone 18 to 21. It bans tattooing the face, neck and head. Minors cannot get a tattoo in South Carolina.

Tattoo artists also will have to follow local zoning laws, such as opening businesses away from churches and schools.

Oklahoma is the last state in the nation that still bans tattooing.