Section 4612.

(a) (1) The holder of a certificate issued pursuant to this chapter shall have the right to practice massage, consistent with this chapter and the qualifications established by his or her certification, in any city, county, or city and county in this state and shall not be required to obtain any other license, permit, or other authorization, except as provided in this section, to engage in that practice.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a city, county, or city and county shall not enact an ordinance that requires a license, permit, or other authorization to provide massage for compensation by an individual who is certified pursuant to this chapter and who is practicing consistent with the qualifications established by his or her certification, or by a massage business or massage establishment that employs or uses only persons who are certified pursuant to this chapter to provide massage for compensation. No provision of any ordinance enacted by a city, county, or city and county that is in effect before the effective date of this chapter, and that requires a license, permit, or other authorization to provide massage for compensation, may be enforced against an individual who is certified pursuant to this chapter or against a massage business or massage establishment that employs or uses only persons who are certified pursuant to this chapter to provide massage for compensation.

(3) Except as provided in subdivision (b), nothing in this section shall be interpreted to prevent a city, county, or city and county from adopting or enforcing any local ordinance that provides for reasonable health and safety requirements for massage establishments or businesses. Subdivision (b) shall not apply to any massage establishment or business that employs or uses persons to provide massage services who are not certified pursuant to this chapter.

(b) (1) This subdivision shall apply only to massage establishments or businesses that are sole proprietorships, where the sole proprietor is certified pursuant to this chapter, and to massage establishments or businesses that employ or use only persons certified pursuant to this chapter to provide massage services. For purposes of this subdivision, a sole proprietorship is a business where the owner is the only person employed by that business to provide massage services.

(2) (A) Any massage establishment or business described in paragraph (1) shall maintain on its premises evidence for review by local authorities that demonstrates that all persons providing massage services are certified.

(B) Nothing in this section shall preclude a city, county, or city and county from including in a local ordinance a provision that requires a business described in paragraph (1) to file copies or provide other evidence of the certificates held by the persons who are providing massage services at the business.

(3) A city, county, or city and county may charge a massage business or establishment a business licensing fee, provided that the fee shall be no higher than the lowest fee that is applied to other individuals and businesses providing professional services, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 13401 of the Corporations Code.

(4) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a city, county, or city and county from enacting ordinances, regulations, rules, requirements, restrictions, land use regulations, moratoria, conditional use permits, or zoning requirements applicable to an individual certified pursuant to this chapter or to a massage establishment or business that uses only individuals who are certified pursuant to this chapter to provide massage for compensation, provided that, unless otherwise exempted by this chapter, these ordinances, regulations, rules, requirements, restrictions, land use regulations, moratoria, conditional use permits, and zoning requirements shall be no different than the requirements that are uniformly applied to all other individuals and businesses providing professional services, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 13401 of the Corporations Code. No provision of any ordinance, regulation, rule, requirement, restriction, land use regulation, moratoria, conditional use permit, or zoning requirement enacted by a city, county, or city and county that is in effect before the effective date of this chapter, and that is inconsistent with this paragraph, may be enforced against an individual who is certified pursuant to this chapter or against a massage business or massage establishment that uses only individuals who are certified pursuant to this chapter to provide massage for compensation.

(5) Local building code or physical facility requirements applicable to massage establishments or businesses shall not require additional restroom, shower, or other facilities that are not uniformly applicable to other professional or personal service businesses, nor shall building or facility requirements be adopted that (A) require unlocked doors when there is no staff available to ensure security for clients and massage staff who are behind closed doors, or (B) require windows that provide a view into massage rooms that interfere with the privacy of clients of the massage business.

(6) A city, county, or city and county may adopt reasonable health and safety requirements with respect to massage establishments or businesses, including, but not limited to, requirements for cleanliness of massage rooms, towels and linens, and reasonable attire and personal hygiene requirements for persons providing massage services, provided that nothing in this paragraph shall be interpreted to authorize adoption of local ordinances that impose additional qualifications, such as medical examinations, background checks, or other criteria, upon any person certified pursuant to this chapter.

(7) Nothing in this section shall preclude a city, county, or city and county from doing any of the following:

(A) Requiring an applicant for a business license to operate a massage business or establishment to fill out an application that requests the applicant to provide relevant information, as long as the information requested is the same as that required of other individuals and professionals providing professional services as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 13401 of the Corporations Code.

(B) Making reasonable investigations into the information so provided.

(C) Denying or restricting a business license if the applicant has provided materially false information.

(c) An owner or operator of a massage business or establishment who is certified pursuant to this chapter shall be responsible for the conduct of all employees or independent contractors working on the premises of the business. Failure to comply with this chapter may result in revocation of the owner's or operator's certificate in accordance with Section 4603. Nothing in this section shall preclude a local ordinance from authorizing suspension, revocation, or other restriction of a license or permit issued to a massage establishment or business if violations of this chapter, or of the local ordinance, occur on the business premises.

(d) Nothing in this section shall preclude a city, county, or city and county from adopting a local ordinance that is applicable to massage businesses or establishments described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) and that does either of the following:

(1) Provides that duly authorized officials of the city, county, or city and county have the right to conduct reasonable inspections, during regular business hours, to ensure compliance with this chapter, the local ordinance, or other applicable fire and health and safety requirements.

(2) Requires an owner or operator to notify the city, county, or city and county of any intention to rename, change management, or convey the business to another person.

(e) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to preclude a city, county, or city and county from requiring a background check of an owner or operator of a massage establishment who owns 5 percent or more of a massage business or massage establishment and who is not certified pursuant to this chapter. The background check may include, but is not limited to, a criminal background check, including requiring submission of fingerprints for a state and federal criminal background check, submission of an application that requires the applicant to state information, including, but not limited to, the applicant's business, occupation, and employment history for the 10 years preceding the date of application, the inclusive dates of same, and the name and address of any massage business or other like establishment owned or operated by any person who is subject to the background check requirement of this subdivision. If a noncertified owner's or operator's background check results in a finding that the city, county, or city and county determines is relevant to owning or operating a massage establishment, then the provisions of subdivisions (a) and (b) shall not apply to that establishment and the city, county, or city and county may regulate that establishment in any manner it deems proper that is in accordance with the law.

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 655, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 2013. Repealed as of January 1, 2015, pursuant to Section 4620.)