Yolo County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Yolo County Code Sec. 5 of the California Business and Professions Code, as an allowed use in every zoning district in the unincorporated area, rather than confining it to commercial zones. What changes by business size is the layer of local paperwork stacked on top of the state license. Independent contractors and sole providers, a category the section extends specifically to therapists who work outcall (traveling to the client) or run their practice as a home occupation, must secure and maintain a business license at all times; no discretionary Use Permit is required for a solo operator.

Once a massage business crosses into employing more than a single therapist, whether it operates from a fixed physical location or runs entirely through outcall dispatch, Sec. 1015(b) requires the operator to obtain a Minor Use Permit or a Major Use Permit, with the Planning Director deciding which tier applies based on the scope of the operation. That discretionary review lets the Planning, Public Works and Environmental Services Department attach site-specific conditions, such as parking, hours, or signage, the same way it would for any other conditional use in the zone.

The section was added to the zoning code by Section 12 of Ordinance 1466, effective March 24, 2016, layering county land-use control on top of the state's therapist-licensing scheme rather than replacing it. Businesses still must separately satisfy the state's individual or business registration requirements under the Massage Therapy Act; the county's business license and Use Permit are additive, not a substitute for state credentialing.