Youngstown, OH Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)

In the City of Youngstown, Ohio, Section 751.02 of the Codified Ordinances requires a massage business permit for every separate office or place of business and a masseur's permit for anyone who practices massage, both issued by the City under Chapter 751. Section 751.03 requires the business applicant to file with the Police Chief a written application disclosing ownership type, business address, a list of all masseurs and employees, fingerprints, two 2-inch by 2-inch photographs, criminal history and proof of graduation from a recognized massage school requiring at least 70 hours of study; Section 751.04 imposes the same disclosure, plus a physician's statement of freedom from communicable disease, on individual masseur applicants.

Section 751.05 gives the Police Chief authority to investigate the applicant's moral character and inspect the premises before signing approval. Section 751.06 requires periodic inspection of premises for sanitation and bars any massage room from having a door capable of being locked. Section 751.07 prohibits a massage parlor from operating within 500 feet of any church, school, library, public playground, park or private residence, measured property line to property line. Section 751.10 lets the Police Chief deny a permit for an unpaid fee, a zoning or health violation, a dishonesty conviction within five years, a false statement, a prior revocation within five years, an underage applicant, or a manager lacking the 70-hour training.

Section 751.12 sets the fee at $100 per year for a business permit and $25 per year for a masseur's permit. Section 751.99 makes a sexual-imposition violation under 751.08 a third-degree misdemeanor, and any other violation a fourth-degree misdemeanor, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.