Auburn, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- ACC 5.20.170
- Minimum employee age
- 18 years, good moral character
- Prohibited conduct
- Genital contact by any means
- Inspected by
- Health officer or police chief on demand
- Minimum lighting
- 3 footcandles, color-corrected
- Max misdemeanor penalty
- $1,000 fine and/or 90 days jail
Summary
Auburn requires a regulatory license for every massage business, health salon and public bathhouse under ACC 5.20.170. The building department, city health officer and police chief must inspect and sign off before a license issues, employees must be at least 18, and the code flatly bans any genital contact during treatment.
C. License Regulations. 1. Licenses – Prerequisite to Advertisement. It is unlawful to advertise the giving of any treatment or service as defined in this chapter by any person or in an establishment not licensed or otherwise qualified pursuant to the terms of this chapter. ... 6. Employees. It is unlawful for the owner, proprietor, manager or person in charge of any facility required to be licensed in this chapter to employ in such establishment any person who is not 18 years of age and of good moral character. ... 8. Prohibited Activities. It is unlawful for any owner, proprietor, manager or person in charge of any facility as defined in this chapter, or any employee or agent of such establishment, to perform or allow to be performed any act, massage or manipulation in which contact is made with another's genital area either by hand, body or by any mechanical device or object, whether it is covered or uncovered, clothed or unclothed, whole or in part.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 7023, passed July 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
4 ppm chlorine residual. The city's building department and health officer inspect before any license issues and the facility stays open to inspection by the health inspector or police chief on demand; a licensee may not impede an inspection or tip off other staff that an inspector has arrived. Owners must staff the business with employees who are 18 or older and of good moral character, and minors may not be admitted unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. The chapter bans genital contact by hand, body or any mechanical device, bans disrobing except by a lawful mate, and requires staff to wear medical-style uniforms while performing treatments.
Rooms used for massage must be built so an inspector can see in without opening a door. 050), the fee is set by the city's fee schedule and the application is routed to community development, the police department and the county health department for endorsement before the license clerk issues it.
Violations & Fines
The police chief or building official may revoke the license immediately if continued operation threatens public peace, health or welfare, or violates any law (ACC 5.20.070); the licensee has 15 days to appeal to the director of community development and public works, then 15 more to the hearing examiner. Under ACC 5.20.080 and ACC 5.15.110, violations are a civil infraction/civil penalty under Chapter 1.25 ACC or a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of unlicensed operation a separate offense (ACC 5.15.120).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Auburn require a license for a massage business?
Can a licensed facility hire workers under 18?
Are massages given at home covered by this license?
What can get an Auburn massage license revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Auburn
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