York County, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Table status
- Allowed both lot sizes (bullet)
- Condition
- Must be a licensed massage therapist
- Permit
- Annual home occupation permit required
- Small-lot client cap
- 6 visits/day, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Exempt-use list
- Massage not included (§ 155.672)
- Large-lot employee cap
- 2 nonresident employees
Summary
Unincorporated York County allows massage services from a home, but only if a licensed massage therapist performs them, and only under an annual home occupation permit. Table 155.674-1 marks the use as allowed on both large and small lots, unlike many other personal-service businesses the same table bars outright.
TABLE 155.674-1: HOME OCCUPATION USES Use or Activity Large Lot Home Occupation Small Lot Home Occupation ... Massage services provided by a licensed massage • • therapist ... Key: • = the use is allowed | X = the use is prohibited
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-49: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 3925, passed 6-16-25).
Full Breakdown
676). 674-1 lists "Massage services provided by a licensed massage therapist" with a bullet, meaning the use is allowed as both a large-lot and small-lot home occupation, so long as the practitioner holds the required license. 672(A) through (F), which excuse artists, craft work, no-visit home offices, telephone answering services, home-based food production, and small family child care from needing a permit at all. 671, renewed annually with a fee, before opening. , no dedicated customer entrance, and parking limited to the driveway; a large-lot practice follows the corresponding large-lot standards, including keeping the use incidental and secondary to the residence and limiting nonresident staff to two employees. 671(A).
Violations & Fines
Practicing massage from home without the required annual home occupation permit, or without holding the license the table requires, forfeits the use's allowed status and is treated as an unpermitted home occupation. Under § 155.676, the Planning and Development Services Director can order the use made safe or terminated, with continued noncompliance escalating to revocation under the Land Development Code's enforcement subchapter and the county's general $500/30-day penalty in § 10.99.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I offer massage therapy from my home in unincorporated York County?
Do I need a county permit even though I'm already licensed to practice massage?
How many clients can I see per day?
Is there a minimum lot size requirement for home massage?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
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