Durham, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Section 54-217 requires a massage therapy establishment license before operating, with an application filed under oath listing every owner's name and address, the premises address, and any prior convictions for prostitution-related offenses or felony, plus any prior license revocation. The city clerk routes the application to police for an investigative report, to city-county inspections for zoning and building compliance, and to fire for fire-code compliance, each within 30 days. The city manager approves the license only if the application is accurate, every owner is over 18 with no qualifying sexual-misconduct or prostitution conviction, the premises meets zoning, building, and fire codes, and no owner has had a massage license revoked in the prior three years; the city council can revoke it for a violation of the article, an unlicensed employee performing massage, or a qualifying conviction of the licensee or an employee.

Section 54-218 separately licenses individual therapists, who must be at least 18 and either have graduated from an accredited program with 500 hours of supervised classroom instruction or hold national certification from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork; applicants submit fingerprints and photographs, and the city council may require a medical exam if it believes the therapist has a communicable disease. Section 54-220 bars an establishment from using unlicensed staff, Section 54-221 requires the license to be posted, and Section 54-223 makes both licenses annual. Denials can be appealed to city council within ten days under Section 54-222.