Placer County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Placer County licenses massage businesses through Article 5.16 of the county code, the special business license track used for adult-entertainment uses. Placer County Code § 5.16.020 requires anyone operating a business needing 'additional regulation and review by the county sheriff's department' to get a special business license before opening, or to renew it within 30 calendar days of expiration if already operating. Applications go through the tax collector, who forwards them for departmental review; § 5.16.040 allows that review to take up to 90 days, and a denied applicant must be notified in writing of the right to appeal.

Section 5.16.070 specifically classifies 'massage parlors' as adult-entertainment businesses, alongside adult bookstores, adult motion picture theaters, adult cabarets and out-call massage services, and states these businesses 'require approval by the county sheriff's department.' The section exempts massage performed by anyone licensed by the State of California to administer medical or therapeutic treatment, and exempts state-regulated modeling schools. A conditional use permit is also required before a massage or other adult-entertainment business can be established, under Article 17.56 of the zoning ordinance. Once operating, § 5.16.070(D) requires the business to post its list of services and prices near the entrance in plain, understandable language, and bars offering any unlisted service. Section 5.16.070(E) prohibits employing or retaining anyone under 21 years old to perform services for the business.

The Sheriff's Office charges a $70.00 sign-off fee for the massage-therapist license approval tied to the business license, plus a $120.00 fee if an on-site inspection is required, per the sheriff's fee schedule at § 2.124.050(20).