Hackensack, NJ Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Chapter 111, adopted February 27, 2018 by Ord. No. 05-2018, licenses massage establishments separately from any zoning approval or certificate of occupancy for the same premises. 1. Therapists must also submit a valid license from the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy. Applicants need liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence and in the aggregate, plus proof that building, zoning, health and fire code requirements are met. Licenses expire every February 28 (or 29 in a leap year) and renew for $250 if the renewal application is filed by February 15; a late filer must reapply as a new applicant at the full fee.

Section 111-3C bars issuing a new license within 1,000 feet of an existing licensed massage establishment, a spacing rule that limits how many can cluster along a single commercial corridor. Licenses cannot be transferred to a new location or a new owner. unless a reviewing board sets tighter hours, require nontransparent outer garments for employees, and, since a March 2020 amendment, require a clear-glass storefront visible from outside for any newly licensed establishment. Section 111-16 backs the whole chapter with penalties under § 1-15 of the City Code, on top of the Health Department's power to suspend or revoke the license itself.