Section 4601.

(a) The council shall issue a certificate under this chapter to an applicant who satisfies the requirements of this chapter.

(b) (1) In order to obtain certification as a massage practitioner, an applicant shall submit a written application and provide the council with satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all of the following requirements:

(A) The applicant is 18 years of age or older.

(B) The applicant has successfully completed, at an approved school, curricula in massage and related subjects, totaling a minimum of 250 hours or the credit unit equivalent, that incorporates appropriate school assessment of student knowledge and skills. Included in the hours shall be instruction addressing anatomy and physiology, contraindications, health and hygiene, and business and ethics, with at least 100 hours of the required minimum 250 hours devoted to these curriculum areas.

(C) All fees required by the council have been paid.

(2) New certificates shall not be issued pursuant to this subdivision after December 31, 2015. Certificates issued pursuant to this section or subdivision (a) or (c) of Section 4604 on or before December 31, 2015, shall, after December 31, 2015, be renewed without any additional educational requirements, provided that the certificate holder continues to be qualified pursuant to this chapter.

(c) In order to obtain certification as a massage therapist, an applicant shall submit a written application and provide the council with satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all of the following requirements:

(1) The applicant is 18 years of age or older.

(2) The applicant satisfies at least one of the following requirements:

(A) He or she has successfully completed the curricula in massage and related subjects totaling a minimum of 500 hours or the credit unit equivalent. Of this 500 hours, a minimum of 250 hours shall be from approved schools. The remaining 250 hours required may be secured either from approved or registered schools, or from continuing education providers approved by, or registered with, the council or the Department of Consumer Affairs. After December 31, 2015, applicants may only satisfy the curricula in massage and related subjects from approved schools.

(B) The applicant has done both of the following:

(i) Successfully completed, at an approved school, curricula in massage and related subjects totaling a minimum of 250 hours that incorporates appropriate school assessment of student knowledge and skills. Included in the hours shall be instruction addressing anatomy and physiology, contraindications, health and hygiene, and business and ethics, with at least 100 hours of the required minimum 250 hours devoted to these curriculum areas.

(ii) Passed a massage and bodywork competency assessment examination that meets generally recognized psychometric principles and standards, and that is approved by the board. The successful completion of this examination may have been accomplished before the date the council is authorized by this chapter to begin issuing certificates.

(3) All fees required by the council have been paid.

(d) The council shall issue a certificate to an applicant who meets the other qualifications of this chapter and holds a current and valid registration, certification, or license from any other state whose licensure requirements meet or exceed those defined within this chapter. The council shall have discretion to give credit for comparable academic work completed by an applicant in a program outside of California.

(e) An applicant applying for a massage therapist certificate shall file with the council a written application provided by the council, showing to the satisfaction of the council that he or she meets all of the requirements of this chapter.

(f) Any certification issued under this chapter shall be subject to renewal every two years in a manner prescribed by the council, and shall expire unless renewed in that manner. The council may provide for the late renewal of a license.

(g) (1) The council shall have the responsibility to determine that the school or schools from which an applicant has obtained the education required by this chapter meet the requirements of this chapter. If the council has any reason to question whether or not the applicant received the education that is required by this chapter from the school or schools that the applicant is claiming, the council shall investigate the facts to determine that the applicant received the required education prior to issuing a certificate.

(2) For purposes of paragraph (1) and any other provision of this chapter for which the council is authorized to receive factual information as a condition of taking any action, the council shall have the authority to conduct oral interviews of the applicant and others or to make any investigation deemed necessary to establish that the information received is accurate and satisfies any criteria established by this chapter.

(h) The certificate issued pursuant to this chapter, as well as any identification card issued by the council, shall be surrendered to the council by any certificate holder whose certificate has been suspended or revoked.

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 655, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2013. Repealed as of January 1, 2015, pursuant to Section 4620.)