Rockdale County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Applicants for an establishment license must submit a sworn, notarized application to the director listing two years of prior addresses, sworn affidavits from two county residents vouching for good moral character, fingerprints run through the sheriff's department, and any prior license revocations, plus a fee set elsewhere by the board of commissioners (section 22-74). A corporate applicant must be chartered or authorized to do business in Georgia, though a sole-proprietor massage therapist does not need a separate establishment license (section 22-75(b)). The premises must post a sign identifying it as a massage establishment, provide at least a 40-watt light in every treatment room, meet Uniform Building Code ventilation, use examining tables built for therapeutic massage rather than ordinary beds, and hold a valid certificate of occupancy before any license issues.

Alcohol may never be stored, served, sold or consumed on site (section 22-80(2)), and patrons under 18 are barred unless they carry a physician's written order or parental permission (section 22-80(5)). Licenses run one year from issuance and renew annually under the same standards (sections 22-76(b), 22-79). A denied applicant gets a written statement of grounds and ten days to appeal to the board of commissioners, which must schedule a hearing within 30 days (section 22-76(c)). Anyone operating as of the article's March 12, 1996 effective date had 90 days to come into compliance (section 22-84).