Dunwoody, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Separate license
- Required beyond the standard occupation tax certificate
- Fee schedule
- Annual nonrefundable investigative plus license fee
- License term
- Expires December 31 each year
- Hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. only
- Criminal bar
- 10-year lookback for listed offenses
Summary
Dunwoody requires every massage or spa establishment to hold a separate city license in addition to its occupation tax certificate, pass a ten-year criminal background check on owners and managers, and operate only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., with a nonrefundable annual fee due each December.
(a)In addition to obtaining an occupation tax certificate pursuant to this chapter, all persons, firms or corporations operating or desiring to operate a massage or spa establishment shall, before engaging in such trade, business or profession, make application for a license in the form and manner prescribed in this article. ... (a)There shall be an annual regulatory fee, consisting of a nonrefundable investigative fee and a license fee, for each massage and spa establishment licensed within the city. The investigative and license fees shall be set by resolution of the city council ... (b)All licenses granted hereunder shall be for the calendar year and expire on December 31 of each year. ... (g)No massage or spa establishment shall be engaged in and no place of business shall be open for business except within and between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
Section 10-269 of the Dunwoody Code of Ordinances requires anyone operating a massage or spa establishment to obtain a license in addition to the standard occupation tax certificate, before engaging in the business. § 50-36-1, a resident registered agent in DeKalb County, and a fingerprint-based background check. Section 10-269(c) bars a license to anyone who, within the preceding ten years, was convicted of illegal gambling, a sexual-related crime, theft or violence against a person or property, drug crimes, or distributing obscene material, and Section 10-269(d) bars anyone under 18.
Section 10-270 sets an annual, nonrefundable regulatory fee combining an investigative fee and a license fee, due with the application; licenses run the calendar year and expire December 31, with existing licensees required to reapply by December 1 for the following year or pay a ten percent late fee. Employees performing massage without a state license must instead hold a city work permit under Section 10-271, renewed yearly with its own fingerprint check. ; and anyone under 18 cannot be a patron without a physician's order or parental permission.
Violations & Fines
Operating a massage or spa establishment without the required license, or employing someone without a state massage license or a city work permit, is a violation of chapter 10, article IX, punishable under the general penalty in Section 1-6. The city manager can suspend or revoke a work permit or establishment license after notice and a hearing for a violation of the article, state law, or any applicable local ordinance, and violations of the hours-of-operation or on-site supervisor rules can trigger a closure of the business until compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a massage therapist with a Georgia state license skip Dunwoody's local permit?
What hours can a massage or spa business operate in Dunwoody?
What disqualifies someone from getting a Dunwoody massage establishment license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dunwoody
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