Pomona, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- City business license for every establishment and technician
- Background check
- Required for non-CAMTC owners of 5%+ stake
- Investigation window
- Up to 60 days for clearance
- Operating hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. only
- Civil penalty
- Up to $500 per violation
- Revocation trigger
- 3+ civil penalties within 6 months
Summary
Anyone operating a massage establishment or working as a massage technician in Pomona must hold a City of Pomona business license under Sec. 30-360. Owners holding 5% or more of a non-CAMTC-certified establishment must also clear a background investigation before the city issues that license, and every technician must carry current CAMTC certification.
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate, manage or otherwise conduct business as a massage establishment, or to act in any capacity as a massage technician, either directly or indirectly, without obtaining a City of Pomona business license.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 31).
Full Breakdown
The business license duty in Sec. 30-360 applies to owners, operators, and anyone acting as a massage technician, directly or indirectly. Sec. 30-361 layers on a separate background-check track for any owner holding five percent or more of a massage establishment who is not a certified massage practitioner or therapist: the applicant submits a nonrefundable fee set by resolution, a full personal history (address, license numbers, employment for five years, criminal convictions, two current photographs), and the city has up to 60 days to investigate, including an inspection by police, fire, building and safety, or planning staff.
Clearance is denied to anyone convicted within the prior five years of specified Penal Code sex or violent offenses, controlled-substance felonies, or moral-turpitude crimes, and to anyone whose massage or similar license was suspended within one year or revoked within three years. Sec. required to end by that hour. Sec. 30-366 exempts licensed acupuncturists, barbers/cosmetologists doing scalp massage, nurses, and physicians or physical therapists acting within their own licenses. The director administers the article under Sec. 30-358, and the city attorney can pursue public nuisance abatement under Sec. 30-367 against any establishment operated contrary to the article.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 30-369 makes any violation a civil offense: the city attorney can sue for up to $500 per violation plus attorneys' fees and costs, and each violation is charged separately. Sec. 30-368 lets the director or city attorney revoke a massage license for fraud in the application, refusing or delaying a city inspection, employing an uncertified technician, prohibited sexual conduct on the premises, a criminal conviction tied to the article, or three or more civil penalties assessed within any six-month period; revocation follows the notice-and-hearing process in Chapter 50, Article VIII, Division 2.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do massage technicians need state certification to work in Pomona?
How long does Pomona take to clear a massage establishment owner's background check?
What hours can a Pomona massage establishment stay open?
What happens if a massage business in Pomona operates without complying with the article?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pomona
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