Lake Elsinore, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

No one may operate a massage establishment, or work as a massage technician, in the City of Lake Elsinore without a police-issued permit under LEMC Sections 5.20.030 and 5.20.060, in addition to the standard business license. An establishment applicant must submit fingerprints, an 8-year residential and employment history, proof of age 18 or older, and disclosure of any prior massage-permit denial, suspension, or revocation anywhere, and the Police Chief must approve, conditionally approve, or deny the application within 60 days of filing, extendable up to 30 additional days under Section 5.20.050(A).

The Chief must deny a permit on findings that include specified Penal Code sex-offense or Health and Safety Code drug convictions within the preceding 10 years, false statements in the application, or noncompliance with health, zoning, fire, or safety standards. Section 5.20.090's operating conditions require a manager on-site at all times the establishment is open, at least one permitted technician on duty, displayed permits and identification, a two-year employee register open to police inspection, opaque clothing for all staff, and a strict ban on massaging the genitals, anal area, or a female patron's breasts.

Outcall massages under Section 5.20.090(B)(14) may not begin after 8:00 p.m. or run past that hour, and treatment records must be kept confidential for 24 months. Section 5.20.100 requires a County Health Officer or private-physician exam confirming the applicant is free of tuberculosis, hepatitis A, B, or C, documented on a doctor's certificate dated within 15 days of the application and renewed annually. Permits run year to year, cannot be sold or transferred, and technicians must complete continuing education to renew under Section 5.20.140. The Police Chief may suspend an establishment, manager, or technician permit for 30 days per violation, or revoke it for repeat violations within a year or for the serious findings listed in Section 5.20.050(A), and the permit holder has 15 days to appeal to the City Council, which must decide within 45 days under Section 5.20.150.