Lacey, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Business license application fee
- $50.00, nonrefundable
- Employee license application fee
- $20.00, nonrefundable
- License term
- One year, renewable at the initial fee, nontransferable
- Required closing hours
- 12:00 a.m. (midnight) to 8:00 a.m.
- Minimum age of provider
- Eighteen
- Maximum penalty
- $1,000.00 fine or ninety days, or both
Summary
In the City of Lacey, Washington, operating a massage or reflexology business without a current, unrevoked Lacey business license is a misdemeanor. The application fee is $50.00, a license lasts one year, and the business must stay closed from 12:00 a.m. (midnight) to 8:00 a.m. Every practitioner also needs a Washington State license or certificate.
Any person who owns, manages, directs, or operates a massage business or reflexology business for which a current, unrevoked massage business or reflexology business license has not been issued pursuant to this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. ... A. For purposes of this chapter, whether a person is an owner, director, manager, or other person in charge of a massage business or reflexology business may be established from evidence such as, but not limited to: 1. The person holds themself out as an owner, director, manager, or some other like title evidencing control over business decisions; 2. The person is responsible for the general business decisions of the business;
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5.38 of the Lacey Municipal Code, rewritten by Ordinance 1666 in 2024, requires a city license for every massage business and reflexology business in the City of Lacey. Section 5.38.020 makes it a misdemeanor for any person who owns, manages, directs, or operates one to do so without a current, unrevoked license. The section lists thirteen kinds of evidence that prove someone is an owner, director, manager or person in charge, including holding out with a title, signing the lease, being listed as registered agent, and paying the business's utilities or taxes. Any one circumstance is sufficient.
Licensing steps are in § 5.38.050. Applications go to the city's finance department on forms provided by the police department. A business license application carries a nonrefundable fee of $50.00, and an employee license application carries $20.00. Within ten business days the chief of police reports whether the applicant, manager, officers or principal shareholders have convictions for sexual offenses or for narcotics or alcoholic beverage offenses, and the community and economic development director confirms the premises can be put to that use under the zoning code. A denied applicant can petition the city hearings examiner within ten business days. Licenses last one year, renew at a fee equal to the initial fee, and cannot be transferred (§ 5.38.070).
Practitioners must hold a Washington State Department of Health massage license or reflexology certificate, copies must be conspicuously displayed, and mobile services need both a Lacey massage business license and the state license on the practitioner's person (§ 5.38.030). Owners must verify that every provider is at least eighteen (§ 5.38.045).
Premises must be closed between 12:00 a.m. (midnight) and 8:00 a.m. (§ 5.38.110), cannot distribute or allow consumption of liquor (§ 5.38.130), and are open for inspection by agents of the Lacey police department, Lacey fire district 3, Lacey community and economic development department and Thurston County health department (§ 5.38.120). The hearings examiner can revoke a license on petition (§ 5.38.080).
Violations & Fines
Under § 5.38.140, any person convicted of a violation of Chapter 5.38 is guilty of a misdemeanor punished by a fine of not more than $1,000.00 or imprisonment for not more than ninety days, or both. Section 5.38.100 deems the prohibited conduct a nuisance under Chapter 9.52 LMC, in addition to being a crime, which makes the premises subject to abatement proceedings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a massage business need a city license in Lacey?
What hours can a Lacey massage business operate?
Is a state massage license enough to work in Lacey?
How is a Lacey massage license denied or revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lacey
Compare Lacey to another location·View the Washington business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.