Shawnee County, KS Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $500, half refunded if denied
- Attendant permit fee
- $100; renewal $50
- Operating hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. only
- Minimum age
- 21 operator, 18 attendant
- Attendant training
- 150 hours or proven proficiency
- Revocation bar
- 5 years no relicense, 2-year premises ban
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 per violation (Sec. 7-65)
Summary
Shawnee County requires anyone operating a bath business or massage business to hold a license from the board of county commissioners, and every massage attendant to hold a separate permit. Sec. 7-51 bars operation without a license issued after sheriff and health department vetting. Businesses run 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. only, under Sec. 7-62.
(a)No person shall operate a bath business or massage business without a valid license issued by the board of county commissioners.(b)A license may be issued only for one bathhouse or massage parlor located at a fixed and certain place. Any person who desires to operate more than one bathhouse or massage parlor must have a license for each bathhouse or massage parlor.(c)All services of a bath business or massage business must be rendered in a bathhouse or massage parlor.(d)No license or interest in a license may be transferred to any person.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. 7-52 of the county's General Code, a license application is filed in quadruplicate with the county clerk, who forwards copies to the sheriff's office and health department for investigation. Sec. citizen at least 21 years old, free of any felony or moral-turpitude conviction within the prior five years, a county resident for the preceding 30 days, and of good moral character; corporations and partnerships face parallel checks on officers, stockholders and partners. Attendants need their own permit under Sec. 7-54. Sec. resident, a 30-day county resident, free of disqualifying convictions, and to hold a proficiency certificate earned through 150 hours of health-department-approved training or demonstrated skill, plus a physician's health certificate and any physical exams or lab tests the health department orders, all at the applicant's cost.
Sec. 00 attendant permit fee, half refunded if denied. Licenses and permits expire every December 31; Sec. 00. Sec. 7-61 imposes sanitary rules: linens and coverings must be laundered or sterilized between customers, separate restrooms are required where both sexes are served, and attendants must stay free of communicable disease. Sec. and keeps the premises open to inspection at any time by the sheriff's office or health department. Sec. 7-64 bans any operator, attendant or employee from performing or offering oral, anal or manual sexual stimulation of a customer, or any service intended to arouse or gratify sexual desire.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 7-65 fines a person up to $1,000.00 for violating the license requirement (7-51(a)), the attendant-permit requirement (7-54), an unreported license transfer (7-60(d)), or the prohibition on sexual acts (7-64), with prosecutions brought in the name of the board of county commissioners. Sec. 7-60 lets the board revoke a license or permit after a hearing on five days' written notice; a revoked operator or attendant cannot be relicensed for five years, and the same premises cannot be used as a bathhouse or massage parlor for two years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who licenses massage businesses in Shawnee County?
What hours can a massage parlor operate?
Do individual massage therapists need their own permit?
What happens if the county revokes a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shawnee County
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