Middleton, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Wis. Stat. ch. 460, § 460.02
- Local violation
- § 6.11(2), practicing without state license
- Establishment duty
- § 6.11(3), cannot employ unlicensed practitioner
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 per violation, § 6.11(4)
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. O1672, March 17, 2026
Summary
Anyone providing massage or bodywork therapy in Middleton, and any establishment that employs such a practitioner, must hold the state license Wis. Stat. ch. 460 requires. Municipal Code § 6.11 makes operating without it a local violation punishable by up to $1,000 per offense.
No person shall engage in massage therapy or bodywork within the City as prohibited by Wis. Stat. ch. 460 unless the individual is licensed under Wis. Stat. ch. 460 as required by Wis. Stat. § 460.02. ... No person operating a massage establishment may employ or contract for the services of an individual to provide massage therapy or bodywork therapy who is required to be licensed under Wis. Stat. ch. 460 unless the individual is licensed under Wis. Stat. § 460.02. ... Penalty. Any person in violation of this section shall be subject to penalties as prescribed under Section 30.04, but not more than $1,000 for each violation. Each day of continued violation constitutes a separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 3 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
11(1) defines massage therapy and bodywork therapy as the science and healing art of using manual actions and adjunctive therapies to palpate and manipulate soft tissue to improve circulation, reduce tension, relieve pain or increase flexibility, while excluding any medical, physical therapy or chiropractic diagnosis, and defines a 'massage establishment' as any establishment where providing that therapy is a primary or secondary operation. 11(2) makes it a city-code violation, not just a state one, for any person to practice massage or bodywork within Middleton as prohibited by Wis.
ch. 02 of that chapter. 11(3) extends the duty to the business itself: an operator of a massage establishment may not employ or contract with anyone required to hold that state license unless the individual actually has it, so the establishment, not just the individual practitioner, bears responsibility for verifying credentials. The Common Council adopted the section by Ordinance No. O1672 on March 17, 2026, giving the city its own local enforcement mechanism for what is otherwise a state licensing requirement administered under Wis. ch. 460.
Violations & Fines
A person or massage establishment that violates § 6.11 faces a penalty under Section 30.04 of the Code of not more than $1,000 for each violation, and each day the establishment continues to operate with, or continues to employ, an unlicensed practitioner counts as a separate offense under § 6.11(4).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do massage therapists need a license to work in Middleton?
Can a spa in Middleton hire an unlicensed massage therapist?
What is the penalty for operating an unlicensed massage establishment?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Middleton
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