Tippecanoe County, IN Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 500 feet from listed uses
- SIC classification
- SIC 7299, cross-referenced to § 4-11-5
- Protected uses
- Churches, schools, libraries, parks, residential zones
- Licensed-therapist exemption
- State/county/city licensed practitioners exempt
- Governing sections
- UZO §§ 1-10-2, 3-2, 4-11-5
Summary
Tippecanoe County's zoning code lists 'massage establishments (parlors)' (SIC 7299) under its Adult Entertainment Business siting rules, so a massage parlor cannot open within 500 feet of a church, school, library, park, courthouse square, city hall, another adult entertainment business, or a residential or rural zone boundary.
MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENT. Any establishment having a source of income or compensation derived from the practice of massage as herein defined and which has a fixed place of business where any person, firm, association, or corporation engages in, or carries on any of the activities as defined in a massage. ... SERVICES INVOLVING SPECIFIED SEXUAL ACTIVITIES OR DISPLAY OF SPECIFIED ANATOMICAL AREAS. As used in the definition of adult service establishment, includes any combination of two or more of the following activities: ... (5) the operation of a massage establishment. ... 4-11-5 ADULT ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESSES: (a) The establishment of any adult entertainment business is prohibited if that business is within 500 feet of: ... (3) the boundary line of any residential or rural zone.
Full Breakdown
' The MASSAGE definition itself exempts anyone registered or licensed by the United States, the State of Indiana, Tippecanoe County, or any city or town in the county while performing services under that license. Even so, the ordinance's definition of SERVICES INVOLVING SPECIFIED SEXUAL ACTIVITIES OR DISPLAY OF SPECIFIED ANATOMICAL AREAS, used to identify an 'adult service establishment,' lists 'the operation of a massage establishment' as one of five enumerated activities. The Section 3-2 Permitted Use Table lists 'Massage establishments (parlors)' under SIC 7299 with a Special Conditions cross-reference to Section 4-11-5, the Adult Entertainment Businesses section.
That section prohibits the establishment of any adult entertainment business within 500 feet of another adult entertainment business, the lot line of any church, public or parochial school, library, public park, or county courthouse square, city hall or other public building, or the boundary line of any residential or rural zone, with distances measured lot line to lot line in a straight line without regard to intervening structures.
Violations & Fines
A massage establishment sited inside the 500-foot buffer is a zoning violation handled under UZO Section 6-3-2: the Administrative Officer mails a Notice of Zoning Violation citing the sections violated and giving the property owner at least 15 days to relocate, seek relief from the Area Board of Zoning Appeals, or otherwise resolve it before fines and a possible lien follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a massage establishment open anywhere in unincorporated Tippecanoe County?
Does a licensed massage therapist's office count as a 'massage establishment'?
How is the 500-foot buffer measured?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tippecanoe County
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