Massage State Boards/Laws

This information is always changing. Please be sure to check with your state board for exact requirements for massage licensing.
These links are for informational gathering only. The states listed have state requirements for practicing massage. Please check your local city, state and county for further information on what you need to practice massage in your area. If a state is not listed there is no state licensing required. Check with you city, county or town for further information.
Please let me know if you have any to add!

  
Alabama Board of Massage Therapy

610 S. McDonough St.
Montgomery, AL 36104
Tel: 334-269-9990
Fax: 334-263-6115

Title: Licensed Massage Therapist Requirements: 650hrs from an accredited massage school and NCETMB, Practical Exam
CE for renewal:16hrs/2yrs
 Board Approved Providers
Laws & Rules & Regulations License Search

 

Alaska


Alaska Board of Massage
Emily Sullivan, Licensing Examiner
Phone: (907) 465-3811
Email: [email protected]
PO Box 110806
Juneau, AK 99811-0806
Title: Massage Therapist
Requirement: 625 hours
Renewal: 16 hours/2 years
Statutes and Regulations

Arizona State Board of Massage Therapy
1400 W. Washington, Suite 230
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-542-8604
Fax: 602-542-3093

Title: Licensed Massage Therapist
Requirements: 700 hours & NCETMB or MBLEx
CE Renewal: 25hrs/2yrs
Max 12 hrs online

 

Arkansas State Board of Massage Therapy
PO Box 20739
Hot Springs, AR 71903
Tel: 501-683-1448

Title: Licensed Massage Therapist, Master Massage Therapist, Instructor
Requirements: 500 hrs and MBLEx
CE Renewal: 18hrs/2yrs approved CE List (PDF)
Online CE hrs not accepted by the state
Rules and Regulations (PDF)

California Massage Therapy Council
One Capitol Mall, Suite 320
Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel: 916-669-5336
Fax: 916-444-7462




Title: Certified Massage Therapist or Certified Massage Practitioner
Renewal every 2 years, NO CE Required. California Massage Council

 

Professions code (PDF)Voluntary Certification :www.amta-ca.org

 

Colorado State Office of MT Registration
Division of Professions and Occupations
1560 Broadway, Ste 1350
Denver, CO 80202
Tel: 303-894-7800
Fax: 303-894-7764

Title: Registered Massage Therapist
“massage therapist”, “registered massage therapist”, “massage practitioner”, “masseuse”, “masseur”, the letters “M.T.” or “R.M.T.”,
Requirements: 500 hours and MBLEX or NCETMB
Renewal: no CEU req/2yrs
License Verification
Massage Therapy Rules and Regulations,

   

Practice Act

Connecticut Department of Public Health

Connecticut Department of Public Health
Massage Therapist Licensure
410 Capitol Ave., MS # 12 APP P.O. Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134 Phone: (860) 509-7603 Fax: (860) 707-1982 Email: [email protected]
 

 

  http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3121&q=389350

 

 

 

Delaware Board of Massage and Bodywork

Mailing address:

Cannon Building,
Suite 203
861 Silver Lake Blvd.
Dover, DE 19904


(302) 744-4500
(302) 739-2711
[email protected]

500 hours Therapist, 100 hour tech.. NCETMB Approved CE

http://delcode.delaware.gov/title24/c053/sc02/index.shtml

District of Columbia

899 North Capitol Street NE,
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 442-5955
Fax: (202) 442-4795
TTY: 711
Email:[email protected]

500 hours, NCETMB/ MBLEx http://dchealth.dc.gov/ (pdf) Regulations

  Health Professions Licensing Administrations

SCOPE OF PRACTICE

 

Florida 

Department Of Health

All courses must be obtained through a Board of Massage Therapy Approved Provider. To view approved CE providers and courses, please visit the www.cebroker.com website.

 

500 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

Georgia

Georgia Board of Massage Therapy500 hours & NCE or MBLEx

Hawaii

Address:
DCCA-PVL
Att: Massage
P.O. Box 3469
Honolulu, HI 96801
(808) 586-2694

Email: [email protected]

 

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs: Division of Professional and Vocational Licensing

 

Approved Workshops

License Verification

570 hours
written exam (their own state exam : Not NCBTMB or MBLEx)
apprenticeship programs allowed.

http://hawaii.gov/dcca/pvl/pvl/hrs/hrs_pvl_452.pdf

 

Idaho Bureau of Occupational Licenses

 

Proposed Laws/Changes
State licensure is required as of July 1, 2013. Prior to July 1, 2013, please contact the individual city or cities you will be practicing in to verify if there are any massage license requirements.

 

IllinoisDepartment of Financial &
Professional Regulation

320 West Washington Street
Springfield, IL 62786
Phone: (217) 785-0800
Fax: (217) 782-7645

500 hours NCETMB/MBLEx CE: Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB); B); The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and its chapters; C) Any approved massage therapy program or accredited school, college, university or State agency; and D) Any other person, firm, or association that has been approved and licensed by the Division pursuant to subsection (c)(2) to coordinate and present continuing education courses and programs in conjunction with this Section. List of Approved CE Sponsors (PDF) Massage Licensing ACt

Indiana Professional Licensing Agency
Attn: State Board of Massage Therapy
402 W Washington St, Room W072
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204

MBLExIndiana Professional Licensing

  Laws and Regulations

(a) Applicants for certification must have successfully completed a massage therapy school or program that: (1) requires at least five hundred (500) hours of supervised classroom and hands-on instruction on massage therapy; (2) is in good standing with a state, regional, or national agency of government charged with regulating massage therapy schools or programs; and (3) is: (A) accredited by: (i) the Indiana commission on proprietary education established by IC 21-17-2-1; or ii) another state where the standards for massage therapy education are substantially the same as the standards in Indiana; or (B) a program at an institution of higher learning that is approved by the board. (b) An applicant who has been educated as a massage therapist in a foreign country may be required to submit a certified copy of all academic records and an evaluation, from an accredited evaluation service approved by the board, of all academic records and credentials so that the board can determine if the applicant’s education is equivalent to the educational requirements in this section.

 

  C 25-21.8-1-4 “Massage therapy” Sec. 4. “Massage therapy”:

  Respect the client’s right to refuse, modify, or terminate services at any point, regardless of the client’s prior consent. (c) The certificate holder shall not do the following: (1) Massage the breasts of a female client unless the certificate holder has: (A) training in techniques related to therapeutic massage of mammary tissue; and (B) first obtained informed written consent for the treatment from the client. (2) Perform pregnancy massage unless the certificate holder has: (A) training in techniques related to pregnancy or prenatal massage; and (B) first obtained informed written consent for the treatment from the client.

Iowa  Department of Public Health

Iowa Board of Massage


321 E. 12th Street,Des Moines, Iowa, 50319-0075


 (515) 281-7689 or toll-free at 1-866-227-9878

 

500 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/DOCS/ACO/IC/LINC/Chapter.152C.pdf

Massage therapy” means performance for compensation of massage, myotherapy,massotherapy, bodywork, bodywork therapy, or therapeutic massage including hydrotherapy, superficial hot and cold applications, vibration and topical applications, or other therapy which involves manipulation of the muscle and connective tissue of the body, excluding osseous tissue, to treat the muscle tonus system for the purpose of enhancing health, muscle relaxation, increasing range of motion, reducing stress, relieving pain, or improving circulation.4. “Reflexology” means manipulation of the soft tissues of the human body which isrestricted to the hands, feet, or ears, performed by persons who do not hold themselves out to be massage therapists or to be performing massage therapy.


It is unlawful for a person to engage in or offer to engage in thepractice of massage therapy, or use in connection with the person’s name, the initials “L. M. T.”or the words “licensed massage therapist”, “massage therapist”, “masseur”, “masseuse”, or any other word or title that implies or represents that the person practices massage therapy,unless the person possesses a license issued under the provisions of section 152C.3.

Exemptions: Reflexologists, Feldenkrais Practitioners, Trager, Mind/Body Centering programs

Kansas

No licensing 2008 Senate Bill 572  bill dead 

Kentucky

Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinent 500 hours and NCETMB or MBLEx

Louisiana 

Louisiana board of Massage 500 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

Maine

Office of Licensing and Registration500 hours, No exam

Maryland

Board of Chiropractic Examiners500 hours, NCETMB

Massachusetts

Board of Registration for Massage Therapy500 hoursMBLEx

Michigan

House bill 5651 

Minnesota

Freedom of Access but some licensing attempts being made 

Mississippi

State Board of Massage700 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

Missouri

State board of Therapeutic Massage500 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

Montana

Montana Board of Massage) 

Nebraska

Health and Human Services1,000 hours, NCETMB

Nevada

Board of Massage Therapy500 hours, NCETMB

New Hampshire

Dept of Health and Human Services750hrs, NCETMB and practical exam MBLEx

New Jersey

board of NursingFact sheet 

New Mexico

Massage Therapy Board650 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

New York 

Office of Professions1000 hours.  State Exam.

North Carolina

  Board of Massage500 hours, NCETMB MBLEx

North Dakota

Board of Massage750 hours,
written and practical exam, NCETMB
MBLEx

Ohio

State of Ohio Medical Board600 hours, written examMBLEx

Oklahoma

2/26/08: House Bill 3199 

Oregon

Board of Massage500 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

Pennsylvania

06/26/08: House Bill 2499, 

Rhode Island

Health Professions Regulations500 hours,
written and practical exam, NCETMB

South Carolina:

Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation500 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

South Dakota

Board of Massage500 hours, NCETMB or MBLEx, and CPR

Tennessee

Dept of Health Massage Licensure Board500 hours,  NCETMBMBLEx

Texas

Department of State Health Services
500 hours and an approved exam (MBLEx or NCETM or NCETMB)

Utah

Occupational and Professional licensingtherapist -600 hours,
apprentice – 1,000 hours NCETMB
MBLEx

Vermont

Vermont Secretary of State Massage Board 

Virginia 

Board of Nursing500 hours, NCETMBMBLEx

Washington

State Dept of Health500 hours, NCETMB or state examMBLEx

West Virginia 

Massage Therapy Licensure Board500 hours,  no examMBLEx

Wisconsin

Dept of Regulations and Licensing600 hours, 1 million liability ins, NCETMB

Wyoming

no licensing or current movements