Santa Barbara County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Chapter 22 of the county code requires anyone conducting a business in the unincorporated area, including massage establishments and technicians, to obtain a license from the tax collector before operating (Sec. 22-11). Sec. 00 per year, fees separate from and in addition to any other classification the business might otherwise fall under. Sec. 22-75(a) lists nine categories of business that must obtain a sheriff's permit before the tax collector will issue their occupational license: carnivals, dine and dance establishments, ferris wheels, handgun dealers, junk businesses, merry-go-rounds, night clubs, road houses and salvage businesses.

Massage establishments and technicians are not on that list, so a sheriff's permit is not a precondition to licensing a massage business under this chapter; the license issues on payment of the fee once zoning and application requirements are met. The tax collector cannot issue any license, including a massage license, until satisfied the business location complies with the county's zoning ordinances (Sec. 22-10), and the county's Land Use Development Code separately lists "massage (licensed, therapeutic)" as an example use under the Personal Services use category, meaning the business must also sit in a zoning district and land use permit tier that allows personal-service uses.

As with all Chapter 22 licenses, the license is valid only at the specific location and for the person to whom it was issued (Sec. 22-13) and is not transferable without tax collector approval (Sec. 22-29). Because Chapter 22 governs only the unincorporated county, massage businesses inside Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Goleta, Carpinteria or Buellton are licensed under those cities' own separate codes, not this fee schedule.