Riverside County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum age
- 18 years or older
- Two license types
- business license and technician license
- Licensing agency
- Riverside County Sheriff's Office
- License term
- valid one year, renewable
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
Anyone running a massage business in unincorporated Riverside County needs a sheriff-issued business license, and every technician needs a separate personal license, both requiring the applicant be at least 18.
No person: A. Shall conduct a massage business in the unincorporated area of the county unless such person is eighteen (18) years of age or older and possesses a valid massage business license; B. Shall engage in or hold himself or herself out as engaged in the practice of massage in the unincorporated area of the county unless such person is eighteen (18) years of age or older and possesses a valid massage technician license.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 84 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
County Code Chapter 5.32 bars operating a massage business, or practicing massage for pay, in the unincorporated area without the matching license from the sheriff's office. Owners need a massage business license; each technician they employ needs an individual massage technician license, which requires passing an exam before the county's massage examining panel. The sheriff investigates applicants, can deny, suspend or revoke a license for fraud or a related conviction, and inspects licensed premises at least once a year.
Violations & Fines
Operating or working without the required license, or violating the chapter's operating rules, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both; each day of violation is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the license apply inside cities like Riverside or Temecula?
Can a business owner also work as a massage technician?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Riverside County
California rules heatmap·Compare Riverside County to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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