Walton County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Occupational tax certificate for therapist and establishment
- Operating hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. only
- Adult entertainment
- Prohibited on massage establishment premises
- Therapist qualification
- Passed NCBTMB massage therapist exam
- Exempt professions
- State-licensed physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists
Summary
Operating a massage establishment in unincorporated Walton County without an occupational tax certificate license is unlawful. LDO Section 6-1-540 also fixes fixed operating hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and bars adult entertainment on-site.
It shall be unlawful for any person, natural or corporate, to operate a massage establishment without having obtained an occupational tax certificate license therefore; or for any person, natural or corporate, to allow a massage therapist to administer massages without having obtained an occupational tax certificate. ... C.The services provided or conducted by the massage therapists or in the massage establishment shall not be adult entertainment as described in Article 6 Part 6-3 of this Ordinance.D.Massage Establishments may not open before 8:00 a.m. and must close by 9:00 p.m.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-1-540 of the Land Development Ordinance regulates both individual massage therapists and massage establishments. It is unlawful for any natural person to administer massages without an occupational tax certificate license, and separately unlawful for any person or corporation to operate a massage establishment without its own occupational tax certificate license, or to allow a therapist without a certificate to administer massages there. Applicants for a therapist license must furnish a certified statement from the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Body Work showing they passed that board's massage therapist exam.
, and it bars the establishment from offering adult entertainment as defined elsewhere in the Ordinance's Article 6, Part 6-3. The licensing requirement does not reach physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists or similar professionals licensed by the State of Georgia while practicing their licensed profession, nor hospitals or other separately state-licensed health care establishments. The county can revoke a therapist's or establishment's license on several grounds: failing to maintain the requirements that got the license issued in the first place, letting an unlicensed person administer massages at the establishment, submitting a materially false application or renewal, operating premises that violate federal, state or county health and safety laws, or operating premises that violate Walton County building or life safety codes.
Violations & Fines
Administering massages or operating a massage establishment without the required occupational tax certificate license is unlawful under Section 6-1-540 and is enforced through Walton County's licensing and code enforcement process. A license already issued can be revoked for false application information, allowing an unlicensed therapist to work on-site, or premises that violate county building, life safety, health or safety codes, and operating outside the 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. hours or offering adult entertainment on-site also puts the establishment out of compliance with the section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to open a massage establishment in unincorporated Walton County?
What hours can a Walton County massage establishment operate?
Can a licensed chiropractor give massages without this license?
What can get a massage establishment's license revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walton County
Compare Walton County to another location·View the Georgia business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.