Kennewick, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

37, adopted by Ordinance 6026 in 2023, replaced Kennewick's older massage regulations with a licensing scheme aimed at legitimate practitioners while targeting unlicensed practice and prostitution fronts. 020 classifies the massage or reflexology business license as a Class II license. 040 prohibits operating a massage or reflexology business without a valid business license, and the license is not assignable or transferable; if the business changes address or owner, the old license must be forfeited to the city and a new one obtained. 050 ties the annual fee to the number of employees, calculated from total employee hours worked in the city over the preceding 12 months divided by 1,920, the state's standard annual full-time work-hour figure, and businesses operating before getting a license face an expedited review requirement and fee.

m. 090 authorizes the Kennewick Police Department to inspect a business's common areas during business hours to confirm every practitioner is at least 18, is licensed or certified by the Washington State Department, displays a government-issued photo ID matching their license, and that the license and ID names match, though police cannot inspect treatment rooms without consent, a warrant, or other lawful basis. 108 RCW. 040(2), or for a public nuisance finding, and requires revocation if Benton County District Court finds a violation of the chapter.