Sheboygan, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Article III of Chapter 30 of the Sheboygan Municipal Code, repealed and reenacted by Ord. No. 47-12-13 in February 2013, controls massage establishments. Section 30-121 bars operating an establishment without a license, and Section 30-123 sets the annual fee at $100.00 for a license that runs January 1 to December 31.

Applications go on a form furnished by the City Clerk under Section 30-124. The form asks for the name and address of the establishment and of each person with a direct or indirect financial interest, each person's employment for the preceding three years, dates of birth, the entity type, and the names and addresses of all persons proposed to be employed. It also asks for any crime, forfeiture violation or ordinance violation conviction within the previous ten years, any other names used, and any prior denial, revocation or suspension of a similar license elsewhere.

Under Section 30-125 the Clerk refers the application to the Police Department, which investigates the applicant and passes it to the building inspection division to check the premises against the article, the rules of the department of health and social services and other laws. Both report to the Clerk. Section 30-126 requires the Clerk, after consulting the chief of police and the city attorney or their designees, to grant or deny within 60 days of a completed application. A denial must come with written notice of the reasons and an opportunity to be heard.

Section 30-122 exempts hospitals, medical clinics, surgical centers and offices of licensed physicians, surgeons, chiropractors, osteopaths and physical therapists, along with registered nurses and nurse practitioners acting under state law. Barbershops and beauty parlors are exempt only where the massage is limited to the head and scalp.

Operating rules in Section 30-98 require a massage therapist or bodywork therapist licensed under Wis. Stats. ch. 460 on the premises at all times, and the licensee must personally supervise the business. No alcohol beverages may be sold or used on the premises. The premises may be open only between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., must be kept clean and sanitary, and must display the license conspicuously. Section 30-97 keeps the premises open at all times to inspection by city police officers and the building inspection division.