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

Montebello Municipal Code Section 5.48.020 makes it unlawful to operate a massage parlor, defined in Section 5.48.010 as any building open to the public where massage services are offered, without a permit issued under Chapter 5.48 and a business license under Chapter 5.04. Section 5.48.030 requires a written application to the chief of police documenting the applicant's occupation history for the prior three years, a physician's certificate issued within 30 days confirming freedom from contagious or communicable disease, either a diploma from a school requiring at least 200 hours of resident massage instruction or a statement of equivalent work experience, and a $100 processing and filing fee paid to the city treasurer; the chief may also fingerprint and photograph the applicant.

Under Section 5.48.040 the chief must deny or condition the permit if the applicant or any directly involved employee has a moral-turpitude conviction, has bad moral character, or if the operation would constitute a public nuisance, and must decide within 30 days. Denials go first to the city manager under Section 5.48.060 and then to the city council under Section 5.48.070 on a ten-day appeal clock. Permits are non-transferable and remain valid until revoked under Section 5.48.080. Operating rules in Section 5.48.110 bar massaging anyone under 18 without written parental consent and bar giving a massage to a person of the opposite sex, and require separate washbasins, daily cleaning of wet-heat rooms, and no shared towels. Licensed healing-art professionals are exempt under Section 5.48.120.