Sandy Springs, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Business hours allowed
- 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. only
- Work permit duration
- 1 year, renewable
- Records retention requirement
- 2 years minimum
- Minimum age to hold a license
- 18 years
- General Code penalty
- up to $1,000 fine / 6 months
- Article adopted
- Ord. No. 2026-03-006, March 17, 2026
Summary
Sandy Springs requires every massage or spa establishment to hold a city license on top of its occupation tax certificate, and every therapist and employee to carry a police-issued work permit. Businesses may operate only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and a state-licensed massage professional must be on-site whenever the business is open, under City Code chapter 26, article IV.
In order to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the city, it is the purpose of this article to regulate the operation of massage and spa establishments and to regulate the practice of massage therapy... In addition to obtaining an occupation tax certificate pursuant to chapter 54, article V, all persons, firms or corporations operating or desiring to operate a massage or spa establishment shall, before engaging in such trade, business or profession, make application to the city for a license... No massage or spa establishment shall be engaged in business or be open for business except within and between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 24 | Development Code: Supplement 2 | Technical Manuals: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Under § 26-130, an applicant for a massage or spa establishment license must be the property owner or leaseholder, hold a Georgia Board of Massage Therapy license personally, submit a sworn lawful-presence affidavit, and disclose every officer, director or owner holding a 10-percent-or-greater stake. No license issues to anyone convicted within the past ten years of gambling, sexual offenses, theft, violence, drug distribution or obscenity crimes, and no one under 18 can hold one. presence, and completion of a chief-of-police-approved human trafficking awareness program; permits run one year.
, ban shower beds and overnight living use, require staff to stay fully clothed with no exposed midsection, and require a state-licensed owner, manager or supervisor on the premises at all times the business is open, on pain of the establishment having to close immediately if inspectors find no licensed supervisor present. Records of every client and employee must be kept for two years and produced to the city within ten business days of a request. The current article was adopted March 17, 2026, replacing an older version that dated to a 2005 county-era ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of article IV is punished under the general Code penalty in § 1-10: up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, 30 days of confinement at labor, or a combination. Separately, § 26-135 lists grounds for the city manager to deny, suspend or revoke a license, including fraud, an employee's felony or prostitution-related conviction connected with the business, or a failure to supervise staff, and § 26-137 lets the city sue in Fulton County Superior Court to shut down a noncompliant establishment as a public nuisance and recover its attorneys' fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can a massage establishment operate in Sandy Springs?
Does every massage therapist need a separate city work permit?
Can a massage establishment operate without a state-licensed person present?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sandy Springs
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