Ashwaubenon, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Chapter 6, Article 15 of the Village of Ashwaubenon's code, adopted by Ordinance No. 2-2-26 on February 24, 2026, and current in the code export dated June 24, 2026, licenses massage establishments separately from the individual massage or bodywork therapists who work in them. Section 6-15-300(A) requires every practicing massage or bodywork therapist to hold a valid state license or registration under Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 460; that individual licensing runs entirely through the state. Section 6-15-300(B)(1)(a) then requires any person or entity operating a fixed massage establishment to first obtain a separate Village license, with a distinct license required for each physical business location, and bars any transfer of the license between locations, persons, or corporate ownership.

Under (B)(2) and (3), the license runs on the calendar year, January 1 through December 31, and carries a nonrefundable application fee set by the Village Fee Schedule. An application under (B)(4) must include a detailed floor plan and proof of at least $1,000,000 in per-occurrence liability coverage. Review runs through the Chief of Public Safety and Community Development Director, who may conduct a criminal background check, before the Public Works and Protection Committee votes to grant or deny under (C); a denial can be appealed to the Village Board within ten days, with any further appeal going by writ of certiorari to Brown County Circuit Court within thirty days.

Renewal applications are due December 1 under (D). , only state-licensed therapists may work on-site, records of each therapist's identity, license, and employment dates must be kept for 90 days and made available for inspection, and any known sexual misconduct, solicitation, or trafficking must be reported immediately to law enforcement. The Article exempts solo practitioners with no employees, licensed medical and chiropractic offices, and barbershops or beauty parlors limited to head-and-scalp work.