Hillsborough County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Sec. 10-656(a) lists four separate permits required under Article XVII: a bathhouse location, a bathhouse technician, a massage establishment location, and a massage technician. The Code Enforcement Department (CED) administers applications under (b), which must be notarized, accompanied by the fee set under Sec. 10-655, and include a valid government photo ID, residential address and phone numbers, a full listing of any criminal convictions with case numbers and jurisdictions, and two recent two-inch-by-two-inch portrait photos. Establishment applications under 10-656(b)(2) must also disclose the property owner's identity and contact information and list every technician working there.

Every applicant, owner, operator, manager, and technician alike, must submit proof of completing a CED-approved human trafficking and prostitution awareness course covering recognition of trafficking, safety and health concerns, applicable federal, state and local law, and how to reach law enforcement resources. The CED may enlist the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to run the background checks, at the applicant's cost. Under Sec. 10-659, a permit runs for one calendar year, and Sec. 10-660 requires renewal applications between 90 and 60 days before expiration.

Sec. 10-663 lets county representatives inspect a permitted premises up to four times a year, and refusing that inspection is itself a violation. Sec. 10-669(c) sets fines up to $1,000 per violation, plus up to $1,000 for each day the violation continues, in addition to permit denial, suspension, or revocation.