Snohomish County, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- SCC 6.07.020, before operating
- Health inspection
- Required before issuance (SCC 6.07.050)
- Operating hours
- Closed 2:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.
- Minimum age
- 18, employees and patrons
- Records retention
- 3 years, open to inspection
- Exempt
- Licensed massage therapists, hospitals, schools
Summary
Every massage parlor in unincorporated Snohomish County needs a license under SCC 6.07.020, subject to health authority inspection and sheriff fingerprinting before it issues. Parlors must close between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., cannot serve alcohol or controlled substances, and individually licensed massage therapists working under state law are exempt.
It shall be unlawful to conduct, operate, or maintain a massage parlor without a license as provided in this chapter. ... The provisions in this chapter do not apply to: ... (6) Licensed massage therapists as defined in SCC 6.01.010(40).
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
050 bars the licensing authority from issuing or renewing that license until the county health authority has inspected and approved the premises. 066. 010(40). 080 bars any liquor or controlled substance from being distributed or consumed on the premises unless the location separately holds a state liquor license. 100 requires a posted list of every service and its price, with daily records of customers, service times, and payments kept on-site for at least three years and open to inspection by the director, sheriff, or health authority. 130).
Violations & Fines
Any owner, proprietor, manager, employee, or agent who intentionally touches or manipulates a customer's genitals violates SCC 6.07.110, grounds for revoking both the business license and the individual's employee license regardless of whether the owner knew of it or the customer requested it. Operating without the required license or employee license otherwise falls under the Title 6 general penalty scheme in SCC 6.01.210 and 6.01.220.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a massage business need a county license in Snohomish County?
Are individually licensed massage therapists exempt from this chapter?
What hours can a licensed massage parlor operate?
What happens if an employee touches a customer inappropriately?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
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