Guilford County, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $25 privilege license (Sec. 10-51)
- Issuing office
- Guilford County Tax Supervisor
- Investigators
- Sheriff, inspections dept. and fire marshal
- Appeal window
- 10 days to Board of County Commissioners
- General penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 30 days jail
Summary
Anyone operating a massage establishment in unincorporated Guilford County must hold a $25 privilege license from the county tax supervisor before opening. Sec. 10-46 forbids operating without one, and the sheriff's department, inspections department and fire marshal each investigate every application before approval. A license can be denied or revoked for prostitution-related convictions, zoning or building violations, or letting unlicensed massagists work on the premises.
Sec. 10-46. No person shall operate a massage establishment unless such person shall have first applied for and received the privilege license provided by this division. ... Sec. 10-51. Upon approval of the application and upon receipt of a $25.00 license fee, the county tax supervisor shall issue a privilege license to the applicant.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 10 of the Guilford County Code regulates massage parlors, health salons and physical culture studios in the unincorporated county, and Sec. 10-3 exempts licensed hospitals, medical clinics operated by a physician, chiropractor or osteopath, and instructional massages given at Guilford Technical Community College. Every applicant files under Sec. 10-47 with the county tax supervisor on a form the county manager approves, and Sec. 10-48 requires the application to be sworn and to list the operator's name and address, the establishment's street address, any felony or prostitution-related convictions of anyone with an ownership interest, any prior revocation of a massage license anywhere, and any other massage business the applicant owns.
Under Sec. 10-49, the tax supervisor forwards the application to the sheriff's department for an investigative report, to the inspections department to check zoning and building compliance, and to the fire marshal, and each office has up to 30 days to report back. Sec. S. 14-177 through 14-208, the premises conform to zoning, building and fire codes, and no owner has had a massage license revoked in the prior three years. Sec. 10-51 sets the license fee at $25, paid to the tax supervisor upon approval.
Sec. 10-54 requires the license be displayed prominently on the premises, and Sec. 10-32 bars an employer from using massagists who lack their own license under Division 3 of the chapter.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 10-52 requires denial of any application that fails these conditions, and Sec. 10-53 gives a denied applicant ten days to appeal to the Board of County Commissioners, which must hold a hearing and decide within 30 days. Sec. 10-55 lets the board revoke a license for a chapter violation, use of an unlicensed massagist, or an owner's sexual-misconduct or prostitution conviction; Sec. 10-33 requires notice before any revocation hearing. Operating unlicensed draws the Sec. 1-14 general penalty: up to a $500 fine, 30 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to open a massage business in unincorporated Guilford County?
How much does the Guilford County massage establishment license cost?
Can Guilford County deny or revoke a massage license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Guilford County
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