Chattanooga, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

City Code § 11-307 makes it unlawful to establish, maintain or operate a massage parlor in Chattanooga without a valid permit. To get one, § 11-308 requires an application to the city treasurer with a $50 investigation fee (a $25 fee on annual renewal), fingerprints, a recent 2x2 photo, and a sworn statement disclosing any conviction, nolo plea or forfeiture for sexual offenses, prostitution or obscenity. Permits expire one year from issuance. Under § 11-309 the treasurer must deny an application, after notice and a hearing, if the applicant was convicted or pleaded to a sex-offense, prostitution or obscenity charge within the prior two years, or made a false statement.

Before issuance, § 11-310 requires the building official to confirm the premises meets zoning, building, fire, plumbing and electrical codes. The permit must be displayed conspicuously (§ 11-311), and the treasurer can suspend or revoke it for up to two years for a qualifying conviction within two years, a false statement, or a violation by the permittee or a technician within the prior year (§ 11-312). Massage technicians need their own permit under § 11-313, obtained through the same application, fingerprint, photo and disclosure process (§ 11-314), subject to the same denial and revocation standards (§§ 11-315, 11-317), and must carry or display it on the premises (§ 11-316).

Technicians also need a public health card under § 11-320: a physical exam including a blood test for syphilis, a gonorrhea culture and a chest X-ray, certified by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department and renewed every six months (§ 11-321). The chief of police or city treasurer may suspend a permit immediately for noncompliance or refusal of entry (§ 11-318), and a denied, suspended or revoked applicant or permittee has ten days to file a written appeal to the city council, whose decision is final (§ 11-319). and all day Sunday, though other lawful business may continue.