Gary, IN Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Gary Municipal Code Art. VI of Chapter 10 makes it unlawful to operate a massage establishment without a license from the city controller (§ 10-214(a)); the establishment license runs $600.00 per year with a $50.00 filing fee, and a masseur or masseuse license is $30.00 per year, both set in chapter 20. The application (§ 10-215) is sworn and must include the applicant's name, address and Social Security number, a floor plan, two 2-inch-by-2-inch photographs, fingerprints taken by the police department, and a criminal-history disclosure; a masseur or masseuse applicant must additionally show proof of at least 500 hours of instruction at a recognized school and a physician's statement, dated within ten days, certifying they are free of contagious disease (§ 10-242).

Minors under 18 may not loiter or remain in a licensed massage establishment except on a lawful errand with parental knowledge and consent (§ 10-162(1)), and every service must be performed in a visible cubicle with the patron's private parts covered and no contact with a patron's genital area (§ 10-162(9), (13)). The city controller investigates each application, with the health department's approval required for any license transfer, and must complete the investigation within 90 days (§§ 10-194, 10-216).