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United States Licensing Atlas

Connecticut Massage Therapy Licensing Requirements

Connecticut requires a Department of Public Health massage therapist license for regulated practice and use of the licensed title.

Statewide requirements and local regulation are identified separately. This record is general information, not legal advice.

Connecticut Department of Public Health
CT · licensing record1 MI ≈ 3.9 PX
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Overview

State massage therapist license required

Last verified 2026-07-29

The statewide credential does not displace generally applicable local business, zoning, premises, health, or safety requirements.

Regulatory authority

Connecticut Department of Public Health

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
Credential requirement
Connecticut requires a Department of Public Health massage therapist license for regulated practice and use of the licensed title.
Minimum education
750 hours
Approved education
Applicants ordinarily complete at least 750 classroom hours in person at an accredited school plus at least 60 hours of unpaid, supervised clinical or internship experience; the statute preserves narrower qualification provisions for specified prior cohorts.
Examination
The Department accepts MBLEx or a National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork examination. The Department expressly states that the National Examination for State Licensing is not accepted.
MBLEx relationship
MBLEx is an accepted national examination pathway but does not replace education, supervised clinical experience, the Department application, fees, or the Connecticut license.
Application
Apply through the Department with the required fee, official education verification, supervised clinical or internship evidence, examination score, identity information, and any out-of-state credential verification.
Application fees
Chapter 384a sets a $375 application fee. The current Department requirements page displays a $379.75 complete-application amount that includes a National Practitioner Data Bank query component; the Department licensure page separately lists $375 as the initial fee.
Background check or fingerprinting
The reviewed chapter and current Department licensing requirements do not identify a routine criminal-history report or fingerprint submission for every massage therapist applicant. The displayed NPDB query is not represented as a criminal background check.
Reciprocity or endorsement
The statute and Department application process provide an out-of-state credential pathway subject to Connecticut qualification review and official verification of each credential held.
Additional requirements
A massage therapist providing direct patient care must maintain professional liability insurance of at least $500,000 per person per occurrence and $1,000,000 aggregate under section 20-206i.

Renewal

Renewal and continuing education

Cycle
Connecticut massage therapist licenses expire biennially under the Department's current health-care credential schedule.
Continuing education
24 hrs
Renewal fee
The Department licensure page lists a $255 renewal fee and a $375 reinstatement fee.
Required topics
The Department recognizes qualifying massage-related education and limits the portion from providers that are not NCBTMB approved; no recurring ethics or Connecticut-law subminimum was identified on the current CE page.

Practice information

Scope, titles, and local requirements

Scope of practice
Chapter 384a defines massage therapy and establishes the licensed practice boundary and statutory exemptions.
Protected titles
A current Connecticut license is required to practice as or represent oneself as a massage therapist within the statutory scope.
Restrictions
Practice must remain within the statutory massage-therapy scope, professional conduct requirements, and direct-care liability-insurance requirement.
Municipal or local requirements
No massage-specific statewide preemption provision was identified; verify generally applicable municipal business, zoning, premises, health, and safety requirements for the practice address.
Establishments and other regulated activities
The reviewed chapter and Department pages do not establish a separate statewide massage-establishment license; other business and facility obligations may still apply.
Practitioner notes
Use the Department's online license verification and complaint resources and recheck the individual credential before practice.

Authoritative sources

Official record evidence

Change history

Public record revisions

No revision to this record has been published yet. Its current review dates are in the overview above, and its official sources are listed below.