One of these days, or years, the Worcester County Commissioners will rewrite their county’s tattoo regulations, which are more out of step with the times than a Lawrence Welk Remembrance Concert during Bike Week.

Moreover, Ocean City government will be fine with that, once the average age of its elected officials drops below the half-century mark and into the age bracket where about 40 percent of their contemporaries will sport body art of some kind.

It is Ocean City government, after all, that holds sway over the county’s tattoo laws, as it has viewed the ink-on-skin business as a shadowy and subversive trade that would damage the family image it promotes.

Unfortunately for the tattoo industry, which surged into the mainstream almost 20 years ago, government officials haven’t been paying attention to the actual families who have been visiting. Otherwise, they would know that mom and dad aren’t June and Ward Cleaver anymore.

This isn’t to say that everyone has or should have some ink, but a count of tattoos on any summer weekend would probably produce a population estimate as accurate as the old Demoflush-wastewater flow model, while also doing a reasonable job of reflecting the age demographic.

Even so, just because Ocean City doesn’t want tattoo artists working within its boundaries doesn’t mean that Berlin and other towns should be denied the right to set their own standards.

The county makes a reasonable argument when it says its tattoo laws must apply equally to all jurisdictions, but that reasonableness doesn’t necessarily attach to the law itself.

Looking at the visitor and resident population these days, it’s obvious that the public’s values have evolved, and the county’s law should evolve with them.