Mobile County, AL Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing act
- Act 81-132 (1981), Ala. Code § 45-49-42 et seq.
- License issued by
- Mobile County governing body
- General penalty
- Up to $500 fine / 6 months jail
- Same-sex rule penalty
- $500 fine / 12 months jail
- Post-revocation ban
- 1 year, same premises
- Health check renewal
- Every 6 months
Summary
Operating a massage parlor in unincorporated Mobile County without a license from the county governing body is unlawful under a 1981 local act. The law layers on health inspections, same-sex service staffing, a ban on locked-door treatment rooms, and license revocation for prostitution-related convictions, with fines up to $500 and jail up to a year.
Section 45-49-42.02. License Required. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a massage parlor without first having acquired from the county governing body a license for the operation of the business as required by this part. Section 45-49-42.11. Services Rendered Only by Persons of Same Sex; Violation. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a massage parlor, regardless of whether it is a public or private facility, or any bath parlor or any similar type business within the county, where any physical contact with the recipient of such service is provided by a person of the opposite sex. Any person violating this part, upon conviction, shall be punished by fine of five hundred dollars ($500) or 12 months in jail, one or both.
Full Breakdown
02 requires anyone operating a massage parlor in Mobile County to first obtain a license from the county governing body; operating without one is unlawful. 01 exclude massage performed by physicians, nurses, chiropractors, licensed barbers and cosmetologists (limited to head, neck, scalp, feet, and hands), school athletic trainers, and certified massage therapists holding recognized credentials, so the license requirement targets parlors employing unlicensed masseurs and masseuses. 08 requires each masseur or masseuse to carry written physician verification, renewed within six months, that they are free of contagious disease.
11 requires that physical contact be provided only by a person of the same sex as the recipient. 10 automatically terminates a license upon final conviction of the owner, manager, or supervisor for prostitution, sodomy, adultery, fornication, or lewd conduct connected to the establishment, and bars a new license on the same premises for one year.
Violations & Fines
General violations under § 45-49-42.14 carry a fine of up to $500 or up to six months in jail, or both. The same-sex-service violation under § 45-49-42.11 carries a steeper penalty: a $500 fine or 12 months in jail, or both, plus automatic one-year license termination on conviction of the owner, manager, or person in charge. License revocation under § 45-49-42.13 requires the county governing body to give the licensee 10 days' written notice and a hearing before revoking, and a revoked licensee cannot get a new massage parlor license in the county for 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a licensed massage therapist need a separate parlor license?
Can a massage parlor in Mobile County lock its treatment room doors?
What happens to the license if the owner is convicted of a prostitution offense?
Who enforces the health and sanitation rules at Mobile County massage parlors?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mobile County
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