Fulton County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Fulton County Code Article IV of Chapter 18 licenses massage therapy in the unincorporated county. ' Section 18-181 requires any massage clinic, corporation or parlor to obtain an occupation tax certificate in addition to the massage license, and bars use of the word 'massage' in business names or advertising unless the therapist and business both hold current licenses, with the Fulton County certificate number displayed in all advertising. Applicants file with the Finance Department at 141 Pryor Street in Atlanta, submit to a background investigation by the county police department at least 15 days before starting work, list three character references, and provide two 2-inch by 2-inch photographs.

Section 18-182 requires a diploma from a massage school accredited by the American Massage Therapy Association or an equivalent body, representing at least six months or 500 hours of coursework, plus, effective February 1, 2001, passage of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork exam. Section 18-149 requires licensees to file their home address and employer with the finance director and update it within ten days of any change. m. Licenses are nontransferable, and Section 18-186 lists twelve grounds for suspension or revocation, including fraud, false advertising, a disqualifying conviction within the prior five years, refusing clients on a discriminatory basis, or letting an unlicensed person give massages; revocation follows a board of commissioners hearing after ten days' written notice, with any appeal by writ of certiorari to the Fulton County Superior Court within 30 days. Because Article IV carries no article-specific penalty section, an unlicensed operation is prosecuted under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-8.