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Union County, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
UDO § 25.020-1, Adult Use
Massage exemption test
Staff meet AMTA ethics/education standards
Non-exempt classification
Treated as Adult Use, special-use review
Enforcement
UDO administrator and county attorney
First/second/third citation fines
$50 / $200 / $500

Summary

Union County's Unified Development Ordinance classifies a massage business as an Adult Use unless every employee performing massage meets the American Massage Therapy Association's ethical and educational standards. That single test decides whether unincorporated Union County treats the business as an adult establishment or an ordinary commercial use.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Union County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

1. Adult Use Any structure, business or use of land that meets the definition of "Adult Establishment," as outlined in NCGS 14-202.10, and including adult video stores and adult hotels and motels. This definition includes adult bookstores, adult motion picture theaters, adult mini-motion picture theaters, adult live entertainment businesses or massage businesses. These uses are further defined in NCGS 14-202.10 and the definitions are adopted by reference. Massage businesses are not considered adult uses if all employees associated with massage meet the ethical and educational requirements specified by the American Massage Therapy Association, or equivalent national or state standards.

View official code

Full Breakdown

10, and lists massage businesses alongside adult bookstores, adult motion picture theaters and adult live entertainment businesses. The same paragraph then carves out an exemption: a massage business is not treated as an Adult Use if all employees associated with massage meet the ethical and educational requirements of the American Massage Therapy Association, or an equivalent national or state standard. 010) treats the business. 100-A. A compliant massage business is reviewed under the county's ordinary commercial-use permitting, while a non-compliant one is boxed into the Adult Use line of the table. 020, and operating any use requiring a permit without first obtaining it is itself a listed violation.

Violations & Fines

Section 95.020 makes operating a use without required approval a violation. The county can issue a warning citation giving 10 days to correct, then a $50 first citation, a $200 second citation and a $500 third or subsequent citation for the same offense, with each continuing day a separate violation. Violations are also a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 or 30 days under NCGS 14-4.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Union County require a special license for massage therapists?
The UDO does not run a licensing exam; it is a zoning classification test. If every staff member performing massage meets AMTA or an equivalent state ethical/educational standard, the business is an ordinary commercial use, not an Adult Use, so it needs only the standard zoning permit process.
What happens if a massage business doesn't meet AMTA standards?
Section 25.020-1 classifies it as an Adult Use under NCGS 14-202.10. The Table of Allowed Uses only allows that classification through special-use review, meaning approval from the county under the Section 80.100-A special-use procedures rather than an over-the-counter zoning permit.
What are the penalties for operating an unpermitted massage business?
Section 95.020 sets a warning citation with 10 days to correct, then a $50 first citation, $200 second citation, and $500 for a third or later citation, with each day of continuing violation counted separately, plus misdemeanor exposure of up to $500 or 30 days.
Who decides whether a massage business is an Adult Use?
The UDO administrator applies Section 25.020-1's staff-standards test when reviewing the permit application, and the county attorney is jointly responsible for enforcement under Section 95.020 if a business is later found to be operating outside its permitted classification.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Union County

Towing CompaniesSome RestrictionsPawnbrokersSome RestrictionsSecondhand DealersSignificant RestrictionsAuto Repair on Residential PropertySignificant RestrictionsAdult EntertainmentSignificant RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Decibel LimitsSome RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Aircraft NoiseFew RestrictionsNoise Ordinances: Leaf Blower RulesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Abandoned VehiclesHeavy RestrictionsParking Rules: Loading ZonesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: EV ChargingLight Restrictions

All Union County rules

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