Phoenix, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License authority
- City Clerk
- Application fee
- $550, non-refundable
- First-year license fee
- $30
- Prohibited hours
- Midnight to 6 a.m.
- Conviction lookback
- 5 years disqualifies applicant
Summary
Operating a massage establishment in Phoenix without a City Clerk license is unlawful. Applicants face fingerprint background checks, criminal-history screening, and a $550 non-refundable application fee.
It is unlawful for any person to conduct or operate a massage establishment without first obtaining and maintaining in effect a current, unrevoked and unsuspended massage establishment license as required by this Article.
C. It is unlawful for any person licensed as provided in this Article to operate under any name or conduct business under any designation not specified in such license.
D. It is unlawful for any massage establishment licensed as provided in this Article to conduct business at any location not specified in such license.
E. The provisions of Subsection B shall not apply to a place of business or establishment wherein all persons offering massage or touching techniques or massage therapy are licensed as either a barber, aesthetician, cosmetologist, or nail technician pursuant to Title 32, Arizona Revised Statutes, and who practice within the scope of that person’s license. (Ord. No. G-1117, § 2; Ord. No. G-1564, § 1; Ord. No. G-2461, § 1; Ord. No. G-3624, § 3; Ord. No. G-4525, § 3, 2003; Ord. No. G-4752, § 3, 2005; Ord. No. G-5196, § 1, 2008)
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-7524, passed June 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Phoenix City Code § 10-18(B) makes it unlawful to conduct or operate a massage establishment without a current, unrevoked, unsuspended license from the City Clerk. Section 10-19 sets a $550 non-refundable application fee (plus a $30 first-year license fee and DPS fingerprint-processing costs), and Section 10-22 bars issuance to any applicant, controlling person, or designated agent convicted in the last five years of specified felonies or misdemeanors. Business hours may not include midnight to 6 a.m. (§ 10-20(D), § 10-22(P)), and licensees must display the license and let police and health inspectors examine the premises.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license, employing an unlicensed massage therapist, staying open between midnight and 6 a.m., or letting an unlicensed manager run the business are each separately unlawful under §§ 10-18, 10-22(E), (P) and (R).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Phoenix require a license to run a massage establishment?
How much does a Phoenix massage establishment license cost?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Phoenix
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Massage Establishments in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle massage establishments.