Arkansas massage licensing record

State licensure and establishment registration do not displace generally applicable local zoning, business, health, or safety requirements.

• Official application
• Official renewal information
• Official statutes or rules

Local business, facility, zoning, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.

Credential

Licensed Massage Therapist

Minimum education

500 hours

Approved education

Applicants ordinarily complete at least 500 in-classroom hours with the curriculum required by Arkansas Code section 17-86-306; a federally or state-approved registered apprenticeship may satisfy the educational pathway while all noneducational requirements remain.

Examination

The Department accepts MBLEx, NCETM, or NCETMB in lieu of a state licensing examination and also requires the Arkansas Massage Therapy Law examination; it may approve an equivalent examination or require a practical examination.

MBLEx relationship

MBLEx is an accepted national examination but does not replace the Arkansas law examination, application, background screening, or state license.

Application

Submit the Department application, identity and education evidence, school transcript and diploma, approved examination score, state law examination, required fees, and state and federal fingerprint-based criminal background check.

Application fees

A current April 2026 lapsed-license application itemizes $75 application, $80 license, $25 law exam, and $36.25 background fees, total $216.25. The older August 2024 certificate-of-training form lists $105 for license and law exam only. Because neither form establishes one universal current first-time total, confirm the Department's current itemization before applying.

Background check or fingerprinting

New licensees, school or apprenticeship enrollees, new school owners, and specified upgrade applicants undergo state and federal criminal-history checks that include fingerprints.

Reciprocity or endorsement

An applicant holding a substantially similar out-of-state license in good standing may seek reciprocity; the rule compares education and examination and requires the Arkansas law exam and supporting evidence.

Additional requirements

The reviewed sources impose no statewide practitioner liability-insurance mandate. Student clinical practice requires student liability insurance, and massage establishments now require state registration under Act 629 of 2025.

Cycle

Active and inactive licenses renew every two years and expire on the licensee's birthday.

Deadline model

The renewal must be postmarked by the first day of the month before the licensee's birthday in the biennial renewal year; a postmark after the birthday is expired, not merely late.

Fees

The current renewal form lists an $80 renewal fee and a $25 late fee between the ordinary deadline and the birthday.

Continuing education

Renewal requires 18 approved CE hours earned in the current renewal period; no carryover is allowed.

Required subjects

CE must fall within massage scope and be approved by the Department or a named recognized provider; no recurring ethics or law-hour minimum was identified in the current rule.

Documentation

The licensee submits CE documentation with renewal and retains records for three years; the Department audits a sample of active renewals.

Carryover

The renewal instructions expressly state that no CE hours carry over. Home-study or online courses are limited to six of the 18 hours and may not cover hands-on content.

Late renewal

A postmark after the ordinary deadline but by the birthday incurs the late fee; after the birthday the license is expired and the applicant must meet current application and examination requirements.

Inactive license

Inactive status must be renewed every two years; practice is prohibited, reactivation requires renewal evidence and fees, and more than four years inactive requires current licensure requirements and reexamination.

Scope of practice

Arkansas law and 17 CAR part 52 define regulated massage therapy and exclude named invasive, depilatory, and other procedures.

Protected titles

A current state license is required for compensated massage practice and protected massage-therapy credentials.

Restrictions

Licensees must follow sanitation, identification, posting, client-rights, and professional-conduct requirements; breast massage carries additional written directive and consent conditions.

Municipal or local requirements

Massage establishments must satisfy state registration and inspection rules while remaining subject to applicable local business, zoning, health, and safety law.

Establishments and other regulated activities

Act 629 of 2025 establishes state registration for massage therapy establishments; schools and postsecondary schools also require Department licensure and inspection.

Practitioner notes

Use the Department's license verification and complaint resources; active 2026 rule amendments concerning the compact, establishments, and consumer notices remain on change watch.

• Arkansas Department of Health — Massage Therapy · accessed 2026-07-29
• Arkansas Massage Therapy Laws — Arkansas Code title 17, chapter 86, 2025 compilation · accessed 2026-07-29
• 17 CAR part 52 — Rules for Massage Therapy in Arkansas · accessed 2026-07-29
• Arkansas Massage Therapy Certificate of Training Application · accessed 2026-07-29
• Arkansas Massage Therapy Lapsed License Application — revised April 2026 · accessed 2026-07-29
• Arkansas Massage Therapist License Renewal Instructions and Application · accessed 2026-07-29
• Arkansas Act 629 of 2025 — Massage Therapy Establishment Registration · accessed 2026-07-29
• Arkansas Legislature — 2026 Massage Therapy Rulemaking Exhibit · accessed 2026-07-29

Future verified changes will be listed from this Git-backed record.