West Virginia massage licensing record

State credentials do not replace applicable state, municipal, or local business licenses, zoning, health, or safety rules.

• 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

625 hours

Approved education

Applicants complete at least 625 hours of supervised academic instruction in a massage program approved by the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education, Department of Education, Board, or an equivalent public authority in another jurisdiction.

Examination

West Virginia Code accepts NCTMB completed before February 1, 2015, MBLEx, or another Board-approved examination. The 2025 general rule's application clause expressly names only pre-2015 NCETMB, creating a bounded statute-rule wording conflict.

MBLEx relationship

MBLEx is a statutory and Board-recognized examination pathway; it does not replace education, application, fees, or the West Virginia license.

Application

Submit the Board application, personal information, official qualifying transcript, examination evidence, and the application and two-year license fees.

Application fees

Active 194 CSR 4 sets a $50 application fee and $300 two-year initial or reciprocal license fee; renewal is $200, late renewal $50, and reapplication after a 60-day lapse $300.

Background check or fingerprinting

No routine fingerprint or criminal-history report requirement for every massage applicant was identified in article 30-37, 194 CSR 1, or the current Board landing page; applicants must provide information sufficient for Board qualification review.

Reciprocity or endorsement

The Board may issue a reciprocal license to an otherwise-qualified out-of-state licensee who supplies current credential, disciplinary, recent CE, and applicable certification evidence.

Additional requirements

No statewide practitioner liability-insurance mandate was identified. Non-sole-practitioner establishments require a separate biennial state license; sole practitioners qualify for the statutory exemption only under its naming and advertising conditions.

Cycle

A practitioner license expires two years from the end of the month in which it was issued.

Deadline model

The active fee rule requires the renewal fee by June 30 of the renewal year or by the end of the month before the license expires; the license rule ties expiration to the issue month.

Fees

Two-year renewal is $200; late renewal is $50 in addition to other fees, and reapplication after a 60-day lapse is $300.

Continuing education

Renewal requires 24 CE units within the preceding two-year period under NCBTMB, FSMTB, or Board-approved guidelines.

Required subjects

The active rule does not set recurring ethics, law, or CPR subminimums; providers may be approved through NCBTMB, FSMTB, AMTA, ABMP, or the Board.

Documentation

Licensees maintain detailed CE records and the Board may audit credentials every two years.

Carryover

The active rule does not authorize carryover or state a separate online-hour limit; only CE completed in the preceding two-year period is represented as renewal evidence.

Late renewal

After notice and 60 days without renewal, the license becomes lapsed; reinstatement requires Board review and the reinstatement or reapplication fee plus renewal fee, and the Board may require current initial standards.

Inactive license

No separate practitioner inactive-status election was identified in article 30-37 or the active general and fee rules.

Scope of practice

Article 30-37 defines regulated massage therapy and the active rule establishes professional and sanitation standards.

Protected titles

A current state license is required to practice massage therapy, and the certificate must be displayed at the work site.

Restrictions

Licensees follow state and local rules, sanitation, draping, consent, recordkeeping, and professional-conduct requirements; breast massage requires a medical directive and written consent.

Municipal or local requirements

Practitioners and establishments must also display or maintain applicable state, municipal, and local business licenses and comply with local ordinances.

Establishments and other regulated activities

Beginning July 1, 2025, nonexempt massage establishments require a biennial state license; initial and renewal fees are each $100, and non-therapist establishment owners complete two hours of law and rule CE every two years.

Practitioner notes

Use the Board portal for practitioner renewal and verification and the establishment application for nonexempt businesses.

• State of West Virginia — Massage Therapy Licensure Board · accessed 2026-07-29
• West Virginia Code Article 30-37 — Massage Therapists · accessed 2026-07-29
• West Virginia Code §30-37-7 — Licensure and Renewal · accessed 2026-07-29
• West Virginia Code §30-37-13 — Massage Establishment Licensure · accessed 2026-07-29
• 194 CSR 1 — General Provisions, effective May 15, 2025 · accessed 2026-07-29
• West Virginia Secretary of State — Active 194 CSR 1 Rule Record · accessed 2026-07-29
• 194 CSR 4 — Schedule of Fees, effective May 1, 2024 · accessed 2026-07-29
• West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education · accessed 2026-07-29

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