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City staff reports inspections, denials and revocations under massage-establishment ordinance
Summary
Community Development reported 18 inspections and 14 permit applications since the city’s 2022 massage-establishment ordinance; staff said five applications were denied and two permits revoked for violations including lack of required CAMTC certification and explicit advertising.
City staff provided an update on March 4 on the 2022 ordinance regulating massage establishments, saying the rules were revised to deter unlawful activities linked to human trafficking and to ensure compliance with state certification standards.
Christina Newsome, speaking for community development staff, said the ordinance requires non-hotel/spa massage establishments to obtain a massage therapy establishment permit, requires CAMTC certification for practitioners or comprehensive background checks for non-certified applicants, mandates lease inspections and requires property owners be informed about massage activities on site.
Newsome credited Kathleen Palmer, Tyler Messer and Officer Linda Heumann for work on investigations and enforcement. She said staff conducted 18 inspections and processed 14 permit applications; five of those applications were denied because of failed background checks or explicit advertising violations, and two permits were revoked for serious violations including operation without CAMTC-certified therapists and related criminal charges.
Council members asked whether the inspected locations were storefronts or home-occupations; Newsome responded that the initial eight standalone establishments generated most of the inspections and that subsequent applications followed locations where denials or revocations had occurred. The item was received and filed; no council action was required.
