Onslow County, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Sec. 8-108 makes it unlawful to operate a massage business, or to engage in the profession of massage, without first applying for and receiving a privilege license from the Onslow County tax collector. Sec. 8-109 routes the written application through the county manager to the Board of Commissioners, requiring the applicant's name and address (and, for a corporation, its officers' addresses) along with proof of qualifications. Sec. 8-110 spells those qualifications out: the applicant must submit written recommendations proving good moral character, and every applicant, along with every employee who will perform massage, must furnish a health certificate from a medical doctor, with a copy of the application and all certificates sent to the sheriff's department.

Sec. 8-111 lets the county manager approve applications and the tax collector then issue the license; a denial goes to the Board of Commissioners for a final decision, and licenses must be renewed annually with the same requirements as the initial application. Sec. 8-112 bars a licensee from letting anyone perform massage on the premises unless that person also holds a license, and Sec. 8-113 requires the licensee to file the names, addresses, phone numbers, and workplaces of all employees with the sheriff, updating within seven days of any change.

The sheriff inspects licensed premises under Sec. 8-114 and can recommend revocation to the Board of Commissioners for failing to perform a required duty, violating the article, a moral-turpitude conviction, or operating in a way that creates a nuisance to public health, safety, or morals; the licensee gets at least ten days' notice and a hearing before revocation. Sec. 8-115 separately bars cross-sex treatment without a physician's signed order and bars anyone under 18 from patronizing a massage parlor without a physician's written order. These licensing rules apply countywide, including the unincorporated area; the county's massage licensing framework does not extend onto Camp Lejeune, which the federal government controls separately.