Rohnert Park, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Rohnert Park layers a local license requirement on top of California's statewide massage credentialing system. Section 8.36.020(A) requires that every person providing massage therapy at a massage business hold a valid CAMTC certificate issued under the state's Massage Therapy Act, and separately requires each massage business or establishment operating within the city to obtain and maintain a city massage business license under § 8.36.040. Section 8.36.040(A) makes the license mandatory for the business owner as well as for any independent-contractor massage provider or therapist, whether working from a fixed location or doing outcall massage, before that person may start operating or providing services.

The license application, filed alongside the standard Title 5 business license, must disclose the owner's business history for the prior three years, any past license revocations, and whether the owner has been convicted of a specified criminal offense, a term § 8.36.010 defines to include sexual misconduct crimes and related Penal Code violations, under § 8.36.040(B). The chief of police inspects the premises and either issues or denies the license under § 8.36.040(C); a denial for a criminal-history hit, false information, or unmet code requirements can be appealed. Section 8.36.090(A) gives an aggrieved applicant fifteen days from the chief's notice to file a written appeal with the city clerk, which goes to the city manager or a designated hearing officer for a de novo hearing. Beyond licensing, Chapter 8.36 also imposes facility and conduct rules, minimum lighting, closed cabinets for linens, posted service prices, and a two-year employee register, that inspectors can check during regular business hours under § 8.36.060.