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

Sec. 5-701 splits the massage business into two license tracks, both run through the Clarksville Police Department's detective division rather than a general business office: no one can operate a premises used for the massage business without a premises license for that establishment, and no one can work as a masseur or masseuse without a separate operator's license. Sec. 5-702 requires applicants for either license to provide their name and every address they've lived at for the past three years, plus a physical description of the premises for a premises license or a list of past employers for the past three years for an operator's license.

Sec. 5-703 sets the fees at $35 a year for a premises license and $20 a year for an operator's license, both charged annually regardless of when in the year the license issues. Sec. 5-706 defines the workforce by tier: an apprentice trains under a licensed master, and a master is a masseur who has passed a department of health exam and completed the apprenticeship requirements; Sec. 5-707 requires apprentices and masters alike to file a written application with a health certificate from a Montgomery County physician and a $10 registration fee.

Sec. 5-708 requires at least one licensed master to be in attendance any time a licensed establishment is operating, bars anyone with a contagious or infectious disease from working or being served, and requires every licensee to conspicuously display their certificate of registration or license. Sec. 5-705 exempts massage given by a licensed physician, osteopath, or chiropractor, in a hospital or medical center, or in a patient's home under a doctor's direction.