Two closed binders and a pen on a conference table, Nevada Massage License: Fees, Hours and Business Setup

How to Start a Massage Therapy Business in Nevada

Last verified: November 5, 2026

The Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy license is the slow part of this business, and nothing else can be finished without it. The Board says its own application process can take 1 to 3 months, and both the county license and the Board's establishment certificate ask for proof of your license. Start that application first, then do the LLC, the state business license and the local license while the Board works. This page is for a therapist opening a solo practice or a small studio in Nevada. It is not for out-of-state therapists who only need a license by endorsement; ask the Board about that route.

Step 1: Apply for Your Nevada Massage Therapy License

Nevada does not let you practice under anyone else's license, an employer's or a chiropractor's, and a license from another state does not carry over. Under NRS Chapter 640C you cannot practice massage, or even use the word "massage" to advertise, without a Nevada license. The Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy: How to Apply for a License page sets out what the Board wants:

  • Education: a massage therapy program of at least 625 hours (the Board's applicant FAQ)
  • Exam: a national exam, either the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards or one of the exams from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. The score report must come straight from the testing agency. There is no separate Nevada exam
  • Documents: government ID, Social Security card, official transcripts sent from your school (emailed copies are not accepted), your diploma and a passport-style photo
  • Fingerprints: every applicant gets a new Nevada background check, even if you hold a license elsewhere. The Board says results take up to 4 weeks by live scan (Nevada only) or up to 8 weeks by fingerprint card
  • Fee: $480 online ($295 license, $100 application, $85 background investigation) or $510 on paper. All fees are non-refundable

The Board reviews a complete application in up to 15 business days, and issues the license 10 to 15 business days after the background check clears. An incomplete packet is returned, which restarts the clock, so check the transcript and score report routes before you send anything. The license renewal cycle and fee are not on the pages we could read; ask the Board before you budget for year two.

Do not advertise early. NRS 640C.930 bars advertising as a massage therapist before you are licensed, and the Board's FAQ says your license number belongs in your advertising. A website or business card that says "massage" before the license arrives is a misdemeanor risk, not a marketing head start.

Step 2: Choose Your Business Structure

Most solo therapists choose between a sole proprietorship and an LLC. The deciding question is how much you can afford to lose in a claim. An LLC keeps a lawsuit from reaching your personal savings in many cases, but it does not protect you from your own professional negligence, and it costs $425 in state fees in the first year (see the table below). Insurance, not the entity, is what answers an injury claim, so decide the two together. A corporation adds cost and paperwork and rarely helps a solo practice; ask a CPA before choosing one.

  • Sole proprietorship: no Secretary of State formation filing. If you trade under any name other than your own, you file a fictitious firm name certificate with the county clerk (Step 3)
  • LLC: read our Nevada LLC guide for the filing steps. If you would rather not file yourself, compare Nevada LLC formation services

Nevada has no corporate income tax. A business with Nevada gross revenue over $4,000,000 in a fiscal year owes the Commerce Tax; a solo massage practice will not reach that. The Modified Business Tax applies once you pay wages, so read our Nevada business taxes guide before you hire your first therapist.

Step 3: Check and Reserve Your Name

Search the Nevada Secretary of State business entity search before you print anything. An LLC name must be distinguishable from every entity on file. The Secretary of State reserves a name for 90 days for $25 (Nevada Secretary of State: name reservation), which is worth it if your Board license is still pending.

If you operate under a name other than your own legal name or your LLC's registered name, you file a fictitious firm name (DBA) certificate with the county clerk, not the Secretary of State. Clark County lists $25 for a new or renewal filing in its County Clerk fee schedule. Each county clerk sets its own fee, so check Washoe County Clerk or your own county. Clark County's licensing steps list the fictitious firm name as a prerequisite, so file it before the license application.

Step 4: File Your Formation Documents

Sole proprietors skip to Step 5. For an LLC, file Articles of Organization through the Secretary of State's online system (SilverFlume, which now sits behind the state's Orion portal).

  • Filing fee: $75 (NRS 86.561)
  • Initial list of managers or members: $150, due with the articles (NRS 86.263; the Secretary of State's FAQ gives until the last day of the month after filing, so confirm the date)
  • Faster service: the Secretary of State may charge up to $125 for a 24-hour turnaround, $500 for 2 hours and $1,000 for 1 hour (maximums set by NRS 225.140). Check the current schedule at filing time
  • Registered agent: an agent with a physical Nevada address is required. You can serve as your own if you live in Nevada. A service costs extra and keeps your home address off the public record

Step 5: Get Your State Business License

Every business in Nevada needs a state business license under NRS 76. It is issued by the Secretary of State and is a separate fee from the LLC filing. The fee is $200 a year for an LLC or sole proprietor (corporations pay $500), renewed every year in the month of your anniversary, with a $100 penalty for a late renewal. See the Nevada Secretary of State: state business license page and its FAQ, or read our Nevada business license guide. You will need a copy of this license for both the county application and the Board's establishment certificate.

It does not replace a city or county license. It is also not your massage license, which comes only from the Board.

Step 6: Get Your Local Business License

Massage is a regulated business at the local level, and this is where Nevada is stricter than most states. Under NRS 640C.330, cities and counties keep concurrent authority over massage establishments, and where a local rule is more stringent or specific than the Board's, the local rule wins. Which government you deal with depends on the address, not on the county name.

Unincorporated Clark County

The Clark County Department of Business License: Massage and Reflexology page treats this as a regulated license, with separate packets for independent therapists and establishments. What it says you should expect:

  • Check the address first. Use the county's jurisdiction locator. Cities that run their own licensing, such as Las Vegas, show up as other jurisdictions in the locator, and the county does not license those addresses
  • Zoning: an establishment may need a Special Use Permit depending on the zoning district. Ask the county zoning staff before you sign a lease
  • Prerequisites: your state business license, your Board license and, if you use a trade name, your fictitious firm name
  • Fee: a non-refundable $45 application fee plus a license fee by category (listed on the checklist in each packet)
  • Process: an establishment application needs an appointment with a Business License technician. All regulated applications also require background investigations, inspections by public safety agencies and a code conference before the license is issued. You can ask for a temporary license while the background check runs

Our Clark County business license guide covers the general license.

City of Las Vegas

The City of Las Vegas licenses massage inside city limits under its own code, Chapter 6.52, Massage Establishments and Independent Massage Therapists. Start at the City of Las Vegas business license page. We could not read the city's current fee sheets from here, so confirm fees, any work card requirement and zoning with the city's Business Licensing division.

Reno, Sparks and Washoe County

Washoe County, Reno and Sparks each run their own business licensing: Washoe County business license, City of Reno business license guide and City of Sparks business licenses. We did not find a published massage fee schedule for them, so ask which category covers a massage practice before you apply.

Elsewhere in Nevada

Call the city hall for your address, or the county if it is unincorporated. Operating without a required local license can mean fines or closure.

Step 7: Get the Board's Establishment Certificate

This is a second Board approval, separate from your personal license. Per the Board's Establishments page, a person may not operate a massage establishment without a certificate from the Board, the Board issues it if you apply and meet the legal requirements (NAC 640C.083), and an establishment may employ only licensed therapists. Under NRS 640C.330, "establishment" means any premises, mobile unit, building or part of a building where licensed massage is practiced. Advertising an establishment without the certificate is a misdemeanor under NRS 640C.930.

That definition is broad. Our reading is that a mobile massage van or a room in your home counts as an establishment, so do not assume a home or mobile practice is exempt. Ask the Board before you rely on an exemption. If you only rent a room inside someone else's licensed establishment, the owner holds the certificate.

The Board's Establishment Certificate Application checklist asks for:

  • your Nevada state business license
  • your local government business license
  • a list of your services
  • a photo of the establishment's entrance
  • payment, with the number of massage or reflexology rooms stated

This is why the local license comes first. NRS 640C.520 caps the Board's certificate fee at $50 for issuance and $50 for renewal; the exact fee is not on the form, so confirm it with the Board at 775-687-9955. The Board's form says a renewal takes 10 to 15 business days, so file renewals early. Display the certificate and every therapist's license where clients can see them.

Step 8: Register for Sales Tax If You Sell Products

Nevada sales tax generally applies to retail sales of goods, not to services, so a practice that only sells massage sessions usually has no sales tax to collect. If you sell oils, lotions or other products, you need a seller's permit from the Department of Taxation, which costs $15 per location. See Nevada Department of Taxation: start and run a business and the sales and use tax page. The rate depends on the sale location, so use the Department's rate publications. Confirm with the Department how it treats any package or membership you sell.

Step 9: Set Up Insurance, Records and Intake

  • Liability insurance: Nevada does not require it for the Board license on anything we found, but your landlord, a space-sharing arrangement or a local license may ask for proof. Our view: carry it. A client injury claim lands on you personally if you are a sole proprietor, and an LLC does not cover your own negligence. Get quotes from at least two insurers that write massage policies
  • Bank account: keep a separate business account, especially for an LLC
  • EIN: free from the IRS at irs.gov/ein. You need one for an LLC or any employee. A sole proprietor can use a Social Security number, but an EIN keeps it off client paperwork
  • Intake and consent forms: have each client sign a health history and consent before the first session, and keep them. These are good practice, not a Nevada filing
  • Hiring: every therapist you employ needs a Nevada license, and the establishment's certificate has to be displayed with theirs. You may not let a graduate work under your license

Costs to Open a Massage Practice in Nevada

ItemCostSource and notes
Board massage therapist license (online application)$480Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy. $510 on paper, non-refundable
Name reservation (optional)$25Secretary of State, 90 days
LLC articles of organization$75NRS 86.561
LLC initial list$150NRS 86.263. The annual list is also $150
State business license$200 a yearSecretary of State FAQ and NRS 76
Fictitious firm name, Clark County$25Clark County Clerk. Other counties differ
Clark County massage license application$45 plus license feeClark County Business License. License fee varies by category
Board establishment certificateSet by the Board, capped at $50NRS 640C.520. Confirm the amount with the Board
Sales tax permit (only if selling products)$15 per locationDepartment of Taxation

For an LLC, state formation costs add up to $425 in year one ($75 plus $150 plus $200) and $350 in each later year ($150 plus $200). The Board license, local license fees and insurance are on top. Our cost to start a business in Nevada guide covers the general costs.

Mistakes That Cost Money

  • Signing a lease before checking zoning. Clark County may require a Special Use Permit for an establishment. Ask before you pay a deposit
  • Treating the personal license and the establishment certificate as one thing. They are two Board approvals, plus a local license
  • Assuming home or mobile work is exempt. The statute's definition of establishment includes both. Call the Board
  • Using "LMT" or "massage therapist" on cards before you are licensed. NRS 640C.910 prohibits it
  • Letting an unlicensed helper treat clients. An establishment may employ only licensees
  • Sending a partial packet. The Board returns incomplete applications and each return costs weeks

For other service businesses with the same two-layer licensing, see our guides to a hair salon and a med spa. If you are weighing a home studio, read our Nevada home-based business guide.

Important Disclaimer

This article is informational only and does not constitute legal, tax or professional advice. Massage licensing rules and local ordinances change. Confirm current requirements with the Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy (1755 E. Plumb Lane, Suite 252, Reno; 775-687-9955), a Nevada business attorney, a CPA and your local licensing office before you act. This page is not affiliated with any government agency.

Sources

Keep exploring: related Nevada guides