Pasadena, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum age for permit
- 21 years old (§5.48.060)
- Initial permit fee
- $83.84 + $33.56 per employee
- Renewal permit fee
- $50.30 + $16.76 per employee
- Operating hours
- 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. only (§5.48.310)
- Application decision deadline
- 45 days, extendable 30 more (§5.48.100)
- Unpermitted operation penalty
- up to $500 fine / 6 months jail
Summary
Operating a massage establishment in Pasadena requires a permit from the license collector under Municipal Code Chapter 5.48, on top of a regular business license. Applicants must be 21 or older, pass police, fire and health investigations, and the business must close between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
5.48.040 - Permit—Required. No person shall operate a massage establishment without first having obtained a written permit from the city assessor, tax and license collector hereinafter referred to as license collector. ... 5.48.310 - Operating hours. No person shall conduct or operate a massage establishment between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. of the following day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
040 bars operating a massage establishment without a written permit from the city's license collector. 060 sets a 21-year minimum age for the permit holder, or for any officer or manager if the applicant is a partnership, association or corporation. 070 routes every application through the police chief, fire chief, director of planning, director of building and safety and health officer, and the police chief specifically checks for felony convictions or offenses involving fraud, embezzlement, moral turpitude or the sex-offense sections listed in Penal Code Section 290 and Sections 311 through 318 and 647.
100). 76 per employee, on top of the regular business license tax. m. 370, a diploma from a state-licensed massage school, and a bar on massaging anyone under 18 without written parental consent. 230.
Violations & Fines
Section 5.48.330 makes operating a massage establishment without a valid permit a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $500.00, imprisonment in the city jail for not more than six months, or both. Section 5.48.140 lets the police chief or license collector summarily suspend a permit for a violation of the chapter's regulations, with a hearing before the city manager required within 10 days of the suspension.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
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