Chico council introduces ordinance aimed at regulating massage establishments, citing anti‑trafficking goals

The Chico City Council on a unanimous vote introduced by title an ordinance to regulate massage‑therapy establishments, with supporters saying it will give the city tools to combat human trafficking while offering flexibility to avoid undue harm to legitimate small businesses.

Code‑enforcement supervisor Charlene Durkin told the council staff had conducted rounds of internal review and community engagement before drafting the current ordinance. "We got a lot of great engagement from the community," she said, and staff incorporated changes based on that input.

Councilmember O'Brien praised staff outreach: "I thought supervisor Durkin, director Vieg, and our staff did an outstanding job engaging the local massage industry. They had some real honest conversations," and said the ordinance was intended to "weed out the bad actors or hold them accountable, but protect the good people." Councilmember Winthrop, citing accounts of trafficking and a recent local expert presentation, said the rules will help "destroy any fuzzy line that exists" between legitimate practice and exploitation.

Amy Allward, the lone public‑hearing speaker, complimented staff work but said the draft "doesn't go quite far enough" on establishment licensing and onboarding pathways for existing practitioners. She asked the council to consider alternative certification recognition and portfolio review mechanisms (she referenced materials for NCBTMB submitted with her comments).

The council closed the public hearing, then voted to introduce the ordinance by title only. The roll call vote was 7–0. Councilmembers and staff said they expect code enforcement to apply the ordinance with discretion where possible and to return with any necessary clarifications after implementation.

The ordinance will be added to the agenda for future consideration as it moves through the formal adoption process. No final adoption occurred at this meeting.