Evansville, IN Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- General license fee
- $40 per year
- Limited license fee
- $20 per year
- Clinic/school license fee
- $50 per location
- Minimum applicant age
- 18 years old
- Issuing body
- Board of Public Safety
Summary
Evansville requires a Safety Board-issued massage therapy license before anyone may perform massage for a fee; state-licensed massage therapists are exempt from this local license.
No person shall perform the act of massage therapy for a fee or compensation without having a valid massage therapy license issued by the Safety Board. This article shall not apply to any person licensed by the State of Indiana to perform acts constituting massage therapy hereunder. There shall be two types of massage therapy licenses issued: general massage therapist and limited massage therapist.
(1) A general massage therapist license shall entitle the licensee to administer massage therapy at a licensed massage therapy clinic, or at any other location in the City. The fee for the general massage therapist license shall be $40.00 per year.
(2) A limited massage therapist license shall entitle the licensee to administer massage therapy only at a licensed massage therapy clinic or massage therapy school. The fee for the limited massage therapy license shall be $20.00 per year.
(3) All massage therapy licenses shall expire on December 31st of the year they are effective.
(B) Application. Each applicant for a general massage therapy license or limited massage therapy license shall make application in person at the City Controller’s office on a form prescribed by the Safety Board which shall contain the following:
(1) Name of applicant and any other names or aliases previously used by the applicant;
(2) Applicant’s current address and other addresses used by the applicant for the previous five years;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-2026-12, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Evansville's Board of Public Safety issues two tiers: a general massage therapist license ($40 per year), letting a therapist work at a licensed clinic or any other City location, and a limited license ($20 per year), restricted to a licensed massage therapy clinic or school. Applicants must be at least 18, apply in person at the City Controller's office, disclose prior convictions, supply two resident references and a passport-style photo, and pass a Police Department background check. Anyone already licensed by the State of Indiana to perform massage therapy is exempt from the City license. The clinic or school itself needs a separate $50 license per location.
Violations & Fines
Practicing massage therapy without a Safety Board license, or operating an unlicensed massage clinic or school, carries a $100 civil penalty per violation, with each day counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do state-licensed massage therapists need an Evansville license too?
Can a limited-license therapist give massages at a client's home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evansville
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