CE carryover not established
No carryover authorization was identified in the reviewed current Board materials.
Pennsylvania massage licensing record
Pennsylvania licenses massage therapists under the Massage Therapy Law and 49 Pa. Code Chapter 20. The current standard path uses 600 in-class education hours, MBLEx, child-abuse training, the state application, and legal disclosures.
Statewide requirements and local regulation are identified separately. This record is general information, not legal advice.
US-PA · VERIFIED 2026-07-25
Overview
State massage therapist license required
Last verified 2026-07-25 · next review 2026-08-25
State licensure does not resolve local zoning, building, occupancy, or general business rules. Current salon and facility provisions must be applied to the actual setting.
Claim-level cautions
Bounded details to confirm
These cautions apply only to the named fields; the rest of the jurisdiction record remains independently supported.
Disclosure documentation is case-specific
The application requires criminal and disciplinary disclosures. Reviewed materials did not establish a blanket fingerprint requirement for every massage applicant.
Business rules depend on setting
Massage-business, salon, inspection, and operational provisions require setting-specific classification and must not be read as one universal practitioner rule.
Regulatory authority
Pennsylvania Department of State, State Board of Massage Therapy
Local business, facility, zoning, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.
Entry requirements
Education, examination, and application
- Credential
- Licensed Massage Therapist
- Minimum education
- 600 hours
- Approved education
- The standard curriculum is 600 in-class hours: 175 sciences, 250 massage theory and practice including hygiene, 25 ethics, and 150 related instruction.
- Examination
- The current Board snapshot identifies MBLEx as the qualifying examination.
- MBLEx relationship
- MBLEx is the national examination identified by the Board for the standard path.
- Application
- Apply through the Pennsylvania Licensing System with official education, MBLEx, required child-abuse training, fees, and legal and disciplinary disclosures.
- Application fees
- The current Board snapshot lists a $100 initial application fee.
- Background check or fingerprinting
- The professional application requires criminal and disciplinary disclosures. A blanket massage-therapist fingerprint requirement was not identified in the reviewed current Board materials.
- Reciprocity or endorsement
- Pennsylvania evaluates qualifying out-of-state licensees under Act 41 and Board-specific requirements.
- Additional requirements
- Applicants document a high school diploma or equivalent and complete three hours of approved child-abuse-recognition and reporting training.
Renewal
Renewal and continuing education
- Cycle
- Licenses renew biennially.
- Deadline model
- Massage therapist licenses expire January 31 of odd-numbered years.
- Fees
- The current published renewal fee is $175.
- Continuing education
- Licensees complete 24 hours during each biennial period, subject to first-renewal and reactivation rules.
- Required subjects
- The current Board materials identify at least 16 contact hours, 4 ethics hours, and 2 hours of Act 31 child-abuse training.
- Documentation
- Retain CE evidence and provide it on Board request.
- Carryover
- No carryover authorization was identified in the reviewed current Board materials.
- Late renewal
- Late renewal and reactivation follow Board requirements; extended lapse may require competency evidence.
- Inactive license
- Reactivation may require current CPR and, after longer nonpractice, practice evidence or retesting under current Board guidance.
Practice information
Scope, titles, and local requirements
- Scope of practice
- The Massage Therapy Law and Chapter 20 define massage therapy, standards of practice, and prohibited conduct.
- Protected titles
- Pennsylvania protects licensed massage therapist and massage therapist title use under the Massage Therapy Law.
- Restrictions
- Diagnosis and services reserved to another profession remain outside the massage-therapy license.
- Municipal or local requirements
- Local zoning, occupancy, fire, building, and general business requirements may apply.
- Practitioner notes
- Confirm current salon classification, child-abuse training, renewal, and reactivation rules before acting.
Authoritative sources
Official record evidence
- Pennsylvania Massage Therapist Licensure Snapshot · accessed 2026-07-25
- Pennsylvania Massage Therapy Renewal Information · accessed 2026-07-25
- Pennsylvania State Board of Massage Therapy · accessed 2026-07-25
- Pennsylvania Massage Therapy Law, Act 118 as amended · accessed 2026-07-25
- 49 Pennsylvania Code Chapter 20 · accessed 2026-07-25
- Pennsylvania Massage Therapy Resources and Documents · accessed 2026-07-25
Change history
Public record revisions
Future verified changes will be listed from this Git-backed record.