Sherman, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Issuing office
- City clerk
- Who needs a permit
- Owners, operators and investors
- Denial grounds
- Five, including a directly related felony conviction
- Investor carve-out
- Only the felony ground applies to investors
- Revocation
- By the clerk when qualifications are lost
- Definitions
- Texas Occupations Code, chapter 455
Summary
In the City of Sherman, Texas, no person can own, operate or be an investor in a massage establishment without a permit issued by the city clerk. The permit is denied after investigation on five listed grounds, and the clerk can revoke it when the holder no longer has the required qualifications.
(a) No person shall own, operate or be an investor in any massage establishment without a permit issued by the city clerk. Such a permit shall be denied if after an investigation it is found the applicant has: (1) Used drugs or intoxicating liquors to an extent that his competence as an owner or operator is affected; (2) Been convicted of a felony that directly relates to the duties and responsibilities for which the permit is requested. In this subsection “conviction” includes a finding or verdict of guilt, an admission of guilt, or a plea of nolo contendere; (3) Been grossly negligent in the practice of massage therapy; (4) Been adjudged mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction; (5) Practiced massage therapy in a manner detrimental to the public health and welfare. (b) Subsections (a)(1), (a)(3), (a)(4) and (a)(5) do not apply to permits for investors. (c) Permits are revocable by the clerk upon a finding that the holder no longer has the qualifications required to obtain the permit.
Full Breakdown
Article 4.09 of the Sherman Code of Ordinances is short. Section 4.09.001 adopts the definitions in the Texas Occupations Code, chapter 455, for the article, and § 4.09.002 holds the permit rule. The permit comes from the city clerk, and it is required of three kinds of people: the owner, the operator and any investor in a massage establishment.
The clerk investigates the applicant and must deny the permit if the investigation finds the applicant has used drugs or intoxicating liquors to an extent that competence as an owner or operator is affected; been convicted of a felony that directly relates to the duties and responsibilities for which the permit is requested; been grossly negligent in the practice of massage therapy; been adjudged mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction; or practiced massage therapy in a manner detrimental to the public health and welfare. For purposes of the felony ground, "conviction" includes a finding or verdict of guilt, an admission of guilt, or a plea of nolo contendere.
Investors are treated more lightly. Subsections (a)(1), (a)(3), (a)(4) and (a)(5) do not apply to permits for investors, which leaves the felony-conviction ground as the one that can bar an investor. Section 4.09.002(c) makes every permit revocable by the clerk upon a finding that the holder no longer has the qualifications required to obtain it.
The article prints no permit fee, no permit term and no appeal procedure. Anyone planning a massage business in the City of Sherman, Texas should contact the city clerk's office, which administers the permit, for the current application process.
Violations & Fines
Article 4.09 prints no penalty clause of its own. Operating without the permit is an act the code prohibits, so it falls under the general penalty in § 1.01.009: a fine not exceeding $500.00, each day a separate offense, plus remedies including injunctive relief and revocation of licenses or permits. The city clerk can revoke a permit under § 4.09.002(c) once the holder no longer meets the qualifications for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to get a massage establishment permit in Sherman, Texas?
What can get a massage establishment permit denied?
Do investors face the same denial grounds as owners?
Which definitions govern the article?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sherman
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