La Mesa, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Chapter 7.14, the La Mesa Massage Business and Massage Technicians Regulatory Ordinance adopted by Ordinance 2109 in 1977 under Government Code Sections 51030 through 51034, designates the business of massage as 'Police Regulated' in Section 7.14.030. Section 7.14.050 makes it unlawful for any person, association, partnership or corporation to engage in, conduct or carry on the operation of a massage establishment in the city without a license issued under the chapter, in addition to any ordinary business tax license. Section 7.14.060 routes the application to the chief of police rather than a separate licensing board: the applicant must supply their legal name and aliases, current and prior three years of addresses, proof of being at least eighteen, physical description, three 2-inch by 2-inch photographs, employment history, any prior license revocations or suspensions, and a full criminal conviction history, backed by an initial and annual renewal fee set by city council resolution.

The chief of police has up to thirty days to investigate and must issue the license unless the applicant made a false statement, was convicted within the past five years of specified offenses including sex crimes, controlled-substance felonies, or crimes of moral turpitude, or previously had a related license revoked for cause within three years. Separately, Section 7.14.051 requires every massage establishment to also obtain an annual health permit from the San Diego County Department of Health Services, with a nonrefundable fee set by the county; a licensee who lets that health permit lapse more than thirty days faces a ten percent-per-month penalty on the renewal fee, capped at sixty percent. A massage technician working within an establishment separately needs a personal permit under Section 7.14.090.