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Adams County adopts massage facility licensing ordinance aimed at strengthening oversight
Summary
After second reading, commissioners adopted Ordinance No. 18 to license massage facilities in unincorporated Adams County; licensing and background-check timelines were outlined and staff will seek CBI/FBI sign-off on the background‑check provisions.
Adams County commissioners on Sept. 9 adopted Ordinance No. 18, a new licensing ordinance for massage facilities in unincorporated parts of the county that county attorneys and law enforcement say will add administrative oversight intended to help identify and address illegal activity at some locations.
County attorney staff presented the ordinance at second reading and said it had been published in countywide newspapers and received no comments since the first reading on Aug. 12. Sally Daggett of the county attorney’s office explained licensing would take effect in stages: the ordinance would become effective Nov. 1 after publication; licensing would be required beginning March 1, 2026; and background checks for employees, operators and owners would be required beginning July 1, 2026, if the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI sign off on local access to criminal history records.
Commissioner O'Dorisio said the ordinance is one tool for addressing human trafficking and thanked law enforcement and staff for their input. Commissioners discussed outreach the county has done to municipal clerks, municipal attorneys, the district attorney and sheriff's office and to licensed massage therapists in the county to help identify existing operators. Daggett described plans to use the state's licensed-therapist database by ZIP code to identify practitioners in unincorporated Adams County and said the licensing phase precedes background checks so staff can compile an accurate list of licensees.
Several commissioners pressed staff to ensure the county will also identify and follow up on unlicensed operations. The county manager said he would develop a communications plan for municipal partners. Daggett said the ordinance’s phased roll-out will allow the county to assign staff to follow up on leads and coordinate with law enforcement to investigate possible criminal activity; she and commissioners repeatedly distinguished licensing and administrative enforcement from criminal investigations, which remain law enforcement responsibilities.
The board approved the ordinance on second reading; the motion passed on the record and was entered by the clerk as approved (vote recorded as 4 to 0 in the meeting transcript). The county will refer the ordinance to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for review of the background‑check provisions and, if CBI approves, CBI will refer the request to the FBI for access to national criminal history records.
