Brunswick County, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Brunswick County Code § 1-5-16 to § 1-5-42
- License required
- for every massagist and parlor
- Annual fee
- $25 massagist / $100 parlor
- Background check
- fingerprints sent to SBI/FBI
- Hours allowed
- 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Issued/revoked by
- the county sheriff
- Applies in
- unincorporated Brunswick County only
Summary
Brunswick County requires anyone who works as a massagist or operates a massage parlor in the unincorporated county to hold a sheriff-issued license, submit to fingerprinting, and meet age and conduct rules; parlors may only open between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., and the sheriff can revoke a license for violations.
Massage parlor shall mean any place of business where massagists are employed to offer massage for a salary or fee. Massagist, (masseur, masseuse) shall mean one who offers to massage another for a salary or fee. ... A person may not work as a massagist nor operate a massage parlor unless licensed. ... Massage parlors may operate only between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 1-5, Article II of the Brunswick County Code, adopted in 1977, licenses massage parlors and massagists (the code's terms for masseurs and masseuses) doing business in the unincorporated county; licensed health professionals acting within their profession are excluded (Sec. 1-5-16, 1-5-17). Sec. 1-5-36 bars anyone from working as a massagist or operating a massage parlor without a license. To get one, an applicant must submit to fingerprinting, which the sheriff can forward to the State Bureau of Investigation, FBI or other law enforcement agencies (Sec.
S. 14-177 through 14-208, be under 18, or have already violated the article (Sec. 1-5-38). 00 for a massage parlor, each valid for one year and renewable annually (Sec. 1-5-39). Parlors and massagists must post their license and a copy of the article in a prominent place or work area (Sec. 1-5-40). No one under 18 may be massaged except on a health professional's order, and no one under 18 may be employed as a massagist (Sec. 1-5-19); massagists may not touch a patron's genitals or vaginal area in the course of business (Sec.
1-5-20). m. (Sec. 1-5-21). The sheriff or a deputy may inspect the premises during business hours (Sec. 1-5-18), and licensees must supervise employees or risk revocation for failing to suppress illegal activity (Sec. 1-5-41). This licensing scheme reaches unincorporated Brunswick County; a massage business inside Leland, Southport, Oak Island or another incorporated town needs that town's license instead.
Violations & Fines
The sheriff can revoke any license for a violation of the article, but only after giving the licensee written notice of the grounds and a chance to answer the charges (Sec. 1-5-42). A licensee who fails to suppress illegal activity by an employed massagist risks losing the license outright (Sec. 1-5-41), and inducing a licensee or employee to violate the article or the state's public-morality or prostitution statutes is itself a separate violation (Sec. 1-5-22).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses massage businesses in Brunswick County?
What disqualifies someone from getting a Brunswick County massage license?
What hours can a Brunswick County massage parlor operate?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brunswick County
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