Prince George's County, MD Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Division 9A of Subtitle 5 was enacted, per Sec. 01, after the County Council found that an unregulated proliferation of massage establishments facilitates lewd displays and prostitution, making licensing necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Sec. 03(a) makes it unlawful to engage in, conduct, or carry on a massage establishment without an approved license, and Sec. 03(c) requires every application to include a nonrefundable $250 investigation fee, after which the Director refers the application to DPIE, the Fire Department, Police Department, Health Department, and the Planning Board for a 30-day review and inspection.

Sec. 04(a) sets the annual license fee at $1,500 for establishments with no more than three licensed massage technicians and $3,000 for those with four or more, renewable each year. Every massage technician, operator, and manager must separately hold a personal license under Sec. 06. Applicants face background scrutiny: Sec. 05 requires fingerprints taken by the Chief of Police, a description of prior business history including any past license revocations, and disclosure of any criminal record for the applicant, partners, officers, or major stockholders. Sec.

16 lists unlawful acts inside a licensed establishment, including operating without a license, administering a massage without a personal license, touching an erogenous area, and failing to keep such areas covered; it is separately unlawful under Sec. 16(i) to own, operate, or manage an off-premises massage establishment. Sec. 09 lets the Director deny an application after investigation, and Sec. 22 authorizes nuisance abatement action against a noncompliant establishment.