San Jacinto, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Section 5.32.040 creates two permits: one for the establishment, including a business that dispatches a person to give a massage elsewhere, and one for each individual who practices massage. A permit is not a business license under § 5.32.020. The license collector, the city manager or a designee, issues the permit, and the chief of police is the approving authority under § 5.32.050. Exemptions in § 5.32.030 cover licensed hospitals, licensed physicians, surgeons, chiropractors and osteopaths, athletic team trainers, and head, face or neck massage by a licensed barber, beautician or cosmetologist.

The application under § 5.32.060 takes the driver license or identification number, everyone with a financial interest, a notarized acknowledgment from the property owner if the applicant is not the owner, three years of addresses and employment history, criminal convictions, and fingerprints or photographs. It also requires a diploma from a recognized school, a diploma from an out-of-state school with a course of at least two hundred twenty-five (225) hours, or proof of at least one year lawfully employed as a massagist.

The chief of police completes the investigation and authorizes or denies the permit within forty-five (45) days, extendable by thirty (30) days for good cause (§ 5.32.070). Section 5.32.150 requires an examination by the county health officer and, every one hundred twenty (120) days, a medical doctor certificate. Section 5.32.170 sets minimum standards, including seventy (70) footcandle power at floor level in massage rooms, hot and cold running water at all times, closed cabinets for clean linen, and a tub or shower and a locker for each patron. The permit must be displayed (§ 5.32.100), records kept for two years on the premises (§ 5.32.190), and a sale or transfer of any interest makes the permit null and void (§ 5.32.110).