Salt Lake County, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- County business license before operating any massage establishment (§ 5.16.020)
- Application needs
- State massage therapist certificate plus street, building and room number
- Review agencies
- Planning and development services, fire agency, County Health Department
- Final decision
- Mayor approves or denies under Sections 5.02.010 through 5.02.140
- Alcohol on premises
- Unlawful to serve, store or allow consumption
- Penalty
- Class B misdemeanor under state sentencing statute
- Display
- License posted in a conspicuous place on the premises
Summary
No one can operate, conduct, carry on or maintain a massage establishment in Salt Lake County without first holding a county business license. The applicant must produce a state massage therapist license and the exact street, building and room number, and the application then clears planning, the fire agency and the County Health Department before the mayor approves or denies it.
It is unlawful for any person to operate, conduct, carry on or maintain a massage establishment in the county without first obtaining a business license from the county. ... Each individual desiring to operate a massage establishment shall: A. Submit a license application with a certificate from the state signifying the applicant is licensed by the state as a massage therapist. ... All applications for massage establishment licenses shall be referred to: 1. The planning and development services division for zoning approval, and for a search of outstanding arrest warrants; 2. The local fire agency for inspection to determine compliance with the provisions of the fire code; and 3. The Salt Lake County Health Department for investigation to determine the sanitary condition of the premises and compliance with applicable health regulations. ... It is unlawful to serve, store or allow to be served or consumed, any alcoholic beverages on the premises of any massage establishment. ... Any violation of this chapter constitutes a Class B misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5.16 of the Salt Lake County Code makes the business license the gate for the whole industry. Section 5.16.020 says it is unlawful to run a massage establishment in the county without first obtaining that license from the county. Section 5.16.010 defines a massage establishment as any place where a massage therapist conducts or carries on the business of the practice of massage for a fee, gratuity or free demonstration, so a free demonstration still counts. The terms massage, massage apprentice and massage therapist all point back to Utah Code Annotated § 58-47b-102.
The application itself is specific. Under § 5.16.030 each individual who wants to operate an establishment must submit a license application together with a certificate from the state showing the applicant is licensed by the state as a massage therapist. The applicant must also give the location, including the street, building and room number of the place where the establishment will operate.
Every application is then routed to three reviewers under § 5.16.050. The planning and development services division checks zoning and searches for outstanding arrest warrants. The local fire agency inspects for compliance with the fire code. The Salt Lake County Health Department investigates the sanitary condition of the premises and compliance with health regulations. After all three finish, the application goes to the license official for review and approval or denial by the mayor under Sections 5.02.010 through 5.02.140. A denied applicant can appeal using the procedure in Sections 5.02.140 through 5.02.180.
Once licensed, the establishment must display its license in a conspicuous place on the premises (§ 5.16.040). Each massage therapist or apprentice must keep his or her own license in their possession or immediate presence while working. Section 5.16.060 also bars anyone without a state therapist or apprentice license from practicing, attempting to practice or falsely advertising authority to practice, and it bans serving, storing or allowing consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises. Individuals listed in Utah Code § 58-47b-304 are exempt under § 5.16.070.
Violations & Fines
Section 5.16.090 makes any violation of the chapter a Class B misdemeanor, punished under the state statute that sets the fines and imprisonment for that class, and it leaves any separate state or federal penalty in place. Under § 5.16.080 the county can also suspend or revoke the license through the procedures in Sections 5.07.020 and 5.07.030 for unlawful operation, unlawful massage by an employee, or unsanitary conditions. Appeals of a suspension or revocation follow Sections 5.02.140 through 5.02.180.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a county license if I am already a state-licensed massage therapist?
Which county offices review a massage establishment application?
Can I appeal if the mayor denies my license?
Is a free massage demonstration covered by the license requirement?
Can a massage establishment serve alcohol to clients?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake County
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