OKLAHOMA CITY ? Oklahoma on Wednesday became the last state in the nation to legalize “getting inked,” when the governor signed legislation to license and regulate tattoo parlors. The measure ends a ban on tattooing that had been in effect since 1963, though some tattoo artists were operating businesses under slack enforcement and no health regulations.

Previous attempts to lift the ban over the past decade were fought on health as well as moral grounds.

The new law takes effect Nov. 1.

The legislation calls for sanitation and health guidelines for tattoo artists and parlors and periodic inspections by the state Health Department. It makes it illegal to tattoo anyone younger than 18.