Elyria, OH Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Application filed with
- Department of Safety and Service, under oath
- Annual license fee
- $100.00 per year or any part thereof
- Decision deadline
- Ninety days after the application is accepted
- License term
- One year from issuance
- Additional location
- $100.00 per year per location
- Penalty
- First-degree misdemeanor, up to $1,000 or six months
Summary
In the City of Elyria, Ohio, a massage establishment needs a license under Codified Ordinances § 735.04, applied for under oath through the Department of Safety and Service. The nonrefundable fee is $100.00 per year or any part thereof, and every license ends one year after issuance unless suspended or revoked sooner.
735.04 APPLICATION FOR BUSINESS LICENSE; FEE. ... Every applicant for a license to maintain, operate or conduct a massage establishment shall file an application under oath with the City upon a form provided by the Department of Safety and Service and pay a nonrefundable annual license fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) per year or any part thereof. The application, once accepted, shall be referred to the Department of Safety and Service for investigation. Copies of the application shall, within five days, also be referred to the Building Department and the Fire Division. Such Department and Division shall, within thirty days, inspect the premises proposed to be operated as a massage establishment and shall make written verification to the Department of Safety and Service concerning compliance with the codes of the City and State that they administer. ... Every license issued pursuant to this chapter will terminate at the expiration of one year from the date of its issuance unless sooner suspended or revoked.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 735 of the Elyria Codified Ordinances licenses the massage business itself. Section 735.04 requires every applicant to maintain, operate or conduct a massage establishment to file an application under oath on a form from the Department of Safety and Service and to pay a nonrefundable annual license fee of $100.00 per year or any part thereof. Within five days copies go to the Building Department and the Fire Division, and each has thirty days to inspect the proposed premises and certify in writing that it complies with the City and State codes it administers.
The City issues the license after ratification by the Safety-Service Director once every requirement of the chapter is met (§ 735.05). It must approve or deny no later than ninety days after the Department of Safety and Service accepted the application, and each license terminates one year from issuance (§ 735.06). A massage business with more than one location gets a certificate for the other addresses from the Safety-Service Director at $100.00 per year per location, and those certificates end on the principal location's expiration date (§ 735.07).
Section 735.03 exempts physicians, surgeons, chiropractors, osteopaths, mechano-therapists and physical therapists licensed in Ohio, registered nurses, holders of a valid State massagist's license, and licensed barbers and beauticians, the last only for massaging the neck, face, scalp and hair for cosmetic or beautifying purposes.
Operating rules include a register of every masseur and masseuse employed, with license numbers, kept at the establishment and open to City representatives during regular business hours (§ 735.09). Section 735.11 sets minimum facilities, among them waterproof construction of toilet, tub, steam bath and shower rooms and disinfecting nondisposable instruments after use on each patron. After notice and a hearing before the Safety-Service Director, the City can revoke or suspend a license for good cause or for violations of the chapter (§ 735.10).
Violations & Fines
Section 735.99 makes a violation of the chapter a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months, or both. A violation of § 735.18(e) is a misdemeanor of the second degree, with a fine of not more than $750.00 or up to ninety days in jail, or both. The City can also suspend or revoke the license after notice and a hearing, including where an employee's unlawful conduct is known to the licensee through due diligence.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elyria
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