Massage establishments in Arlington must hold a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation license and a city certificate of occupancy. Therapists need individual TDLR licenses; the city inspects for human-trafficking compliance.
Texas Occupations Code Chapter 455 requires massage establishments and individual therapists to be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Arlington additionally requires a certificate of occupancy and zoning compliance under city development code, with massage establishments allowed only in commercial districts. Following 2019 reforms targeting illicit massage parlors, Arlington Police participate in joint inspections with TDLR. Therapists must display state licenses on premises, and establishments must maintain client records and post anti-trafficking hotline notices in English, Spanish, Korean, and Mandarin per Texas Government Code 402.035.
Operating an unlicensed massage establishment is a Class A misdemeanor under Texas law and grounds for city license revocation. TDLR can fine up to $5,000 per violation. Anti-trafficking poster failures bring separate fines under state law.
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