Surprise, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing article
- §§ 26-95 through 26-110
- Background check
- Fingerprints sent to DPS and FBI
- Felony/drug bar
- 5-year lookback disqualifies applicant
- Site inspection
- Required before license issues
- Penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor for violations
- Reapply wait
- 1 year after denial or revocation
Summary
Surprise requires every massage establishment to hold a city license issued under City Code § 26-97, backed by fingerprint-based state and FBI background checks under § 26-100. Section 26-101 bars a license for anyone convicted of a felony, moral-turpitude offense, or drug crime within the past five years, and requires an on-site inspection before opening.
(a)A massage establishment may require an inspection of the site before the license is issued to ensure that the establishment complies with each and all of the following requirements:(1)A readable sign...shall be posted at the main entrance identifying the establishment.(2)Lighting and ventilation shall be provided in each room or enclosure where services are performed on patrons...(3)Adequate separate bathing, dressing, locker and toilet facilities shall be provided for female and male patrons.(5)An updated log must be maintained on the premises, which contains a work schedule for all licensed massage therapists.(6)An updated log of all persons performing and receiving a massage including names, times of service; dates of service; and type of services must be maintained at the premises.(b)No massage establishment license shall be issued if the applicant has been convicted within the last five years of any felony or other offense involving moral turpitude, if the applicant has been convicted of using, selling or being in possession of dangerous or narcotic drugs, or if the application was deliberately falsified.
Full Breakdown
Massage establishments in Surprise are licensed under Chapter 26, Article IV (§§ 26-95—26-110), administered by the city manager or designee, called the administrator. Every applicant must complete a license application under § 26-97 and pay any application fee set by council resolution; the police department may investigate the applicant's background and recommend approval or denial to the administrator under § 26-99, and the proposed site must independently satisfy the city's building, fire, and zoning codes. § 41-1750. Before a license issues, § 26-101 authorizes a site inspection to confirm a readable identifying sign at the entrance, adequate lighting and ventilation in service rooms, separate bathing/dressing/locker/toilet facilities for each sex, fire code compliance, and a maintained log of every massage therapist's work schedule plus a log of every person giving or receiving a massage.
No license may issue to an applicant convicted within the past five years of a felony, a moral-turpitude offense, or a drug offense involving dangerous or narcotic drugs, or whose application was deliberately falsified; the same bar applies to a corporate applicant's officers, general partners, financially interested persons, managing members, or trustees under § 26-101(c). Licenses must be displayed on the premises, and mobile massage therapists working off-site must carry an updated service log at all times under § 26-103.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unlicensed massage establishment, employing an unlicensed massage therapist, or allowing a massage that arouses or gratifies sexual desire is a class 1 misdemeanor under § 26-106, and failing to keep the required therapist and service logs available triggers immediate license revocation on top of any other penalty. The administrator may also revoke or deny renewal under § 26-107 for fraud, a moral-turpitude conviction, or an intoxicating-liquor or narcotics conviction, and a revoked applicant cannot reapply for one year under § 26-108.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Surprise massage business need a background check?
Can someone with a felony conviction get a Surprise massage establishment license?
What records must a Surprise massage establishment keep on-site?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Surprise
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