Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Massage Therapy Licensing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Casper council to rescind local massage-therapy licensing; staff to coordinate repeal process
Summary
City staff recommended removing massage-therapy licensing provisions from city code after practitioners and staff concluded local regulation was ineffective; council signaled support to proceed with repeal and three readings.
City officials told the Casper City Council on April 8 they will move to repeal local massage-therapy licensing provisions after consulting with practitioners and reviewing how the ordinance has operated since adoption.
Fleur, a city staff member who led the review of the ordinance, told council the local licensing regime adopted around 2020 had created inconsistent results: written requirements sometimes allowed minimally trained applicants to qualify while more extensively trained practitioners lacked the specific credential the ordinance required. “We found that because it’s very specific as to what the requirements are… sometimes we’re getting influx scores for people who don’t have a lot of training,” Fleur said, and concluded the local regime “isn’t working as intended.”
City Attorney Eric explained the city does not have a general business license and that historically certain sectors (restaurants, hotels) have been subject to sector-specific permits. He told council staff would strip massage-therapy references from the current code and revert to the prior framework, leaving regulation to the state if practitioners seek statewide oversight. Eric noted many other states use a state-level board for cosmetology- or therapy-related licensing.
Chief Cheney and city staff said they had met with massage therapists and representatives of the profession; Fleur said the practitioners consulted were broadly supportive of repeal. Councilors and staff discussed the mechanics of outstanding permit applications and agreed staff would handle pending applications administratively while the repeal process proceeds.
Outcome and next steps: Councilors expressed support for rescinding the massage-therapy licensing provisions and for staff to prepare an ordinance for formal readings. At the meeting a council member noted the ordinance change would proceed through the required three readings.
Ending: Staff will prepare draft repeal language and administrative steps for handling pending applications; council did not adopt the repeal at the meeting but directed the city attorney and clerk’s office to proceed with the codification steps.
