Prince George's County, MD Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Division 9A of Subtitle 5 was enacted, per Sec. 5-184.01, after the County Council found that an unregulated proliferation of massage establishments facilitates lewd displays and prostitution, making licensing necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Sec. 5-184.03(a) makes it unlawful to engage in, conduct, or carry on a massage establishment without an approved license, and Sec. 5-184.03(c) requires every application to include a nonrefundable $250 investigation fee, after which the Director refers the application to DPIE, the Fire Department, Police Department, Health Department, and the Planning Board for a 30-day review and inspection.

Sec. 5-184.04(a) sets the annual license fee at $1,500 for establishments with no more than three licensed massage technicians and $3,000 for those with four or more, renewable each year. Every massage technician, operator, and manager must separately hold a personal license under Sec. 5-184.06. Applicants face background scrutiny: Sec. 5-184.05 requires fingerprints taken by the Chief of Police, a description of prior business history including any past license revocations, and disclosure of any criminal record for the applicant, partners, officers, or major stockholders. Sec.

5-184.16 lists unlawful acts inside a licensed establishment, including operating without a license, administering a massage without a personal license, touching an erogenous area, and failing to keep such areas covered; it is separately unlawful under Sec. 5-184.16(i) to own, operate, or manage an off-premises massage establishment. Sec. 5-184.09 lets the Director deny an application after investigation, and Sec. 5-184.22 authorizes nuisance abatement action against a noncompliant establishment.