Clearing up much of the ambiguity in the city’s zoning regulations, the Lewiston City Council on Tuesday developed a new set of criteria that more reasonably categorizes several types of businesses.

The new regulations would move bars and taverns into a new category, separate from other adult-oriented enterprises – namely adult bookshops and tattoo parlors.

The council overruled a recommendation from the Planning Board, that would have permitted tattoo parlors anywhere that a hair salon or barbershop is allowed. Lewiston currently has three tattoo parlors, and it’s unlikely the zoning would have spurred a great increase in those numbers.

Tattoo parlors no longer hold to the old stereotypes. Body art is firmly rooted in the mainstream, especially for younger residents. Even adult bookstores don’t carry the stigma of more puritanical times. But the more restrictive zoning makes sense, especially for a community working to rehabilitate its image.

If approved by the council, which takes the issue up again Feb. 15, tattoo shops and adult bookstores would only be allowed with a conditional-use permit and in a single city district. The businesses also would require the OK of the Planning Board. Shops and bookstores now in business would be grandfathered to stay in business at their present locations.

The new zoning rules would make the system easier to understand, give the city more control on where certain types of businesses are located but still allow for healthy business development without shutting out any particular type of business.