United States Licensure
States currently regulating the practice of massage:
NCE refers to the National Certification Exam, a standardized entry-level test for massage practitioners. States with the letters (NCE) after their
names have adopted this test as their written licensing test. In these states, anyone who has passed the NCE in one state can apply for
licensing in another state without re-taking the test. In states that do not use the NCE, anyone applying for licensing must either take that
state's test or apply for reciprocity, which is usually on a case-by-case basis.
Alabama (NCE optional), Arkansas, Connecticut (NCE), Delaware (NCE), District of Columbia (NCE), Florida (NCE),
Hawaii, Iowa (NCE), Louisiana (NCE optional), Maine (NCE), Maryland, Mississippi (NCE) Missouri, Nebraska (NCE), New Hampshire
(NCE), New Mexico (NCE), New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island (NCE), South Carolina (NCE), Tennessee
(NCE), Texas, Utah (NCE optional), Virginia (NCE), Washington (NCE), West Virginia (NCE), Wisconsin
COMTA (in the list below) refers to the massage school accreditation program of the American Massage Therapy Association, one of three
major professional associations for massage. The states that have the word COMTA in their descriptions below require attendance at a school
approved by that organization in order to be licensed.
Alabama requires 650 hours until 1/1/02, 1000 hours thereafter.
Contact:
Alabama Massage Licensing Board
660 Adams Ave., Suite 301
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 269-9990
Arkansas requires 500 hours education.
Contact:
Arkansas Massage Board
PO Box 20739
Hot Springs, AR 71903
(501) 623-0444
Connecticut requires 500 hours at a COMTA or U.S. Department of Education approved school.
Contact:
Ct. Dept. of Public Health
Massage Therapy Licensure
410 Capitol Ave. MS #12, APP
PO Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134
(860) 509-7570
Delaware requires 500 hours or 300 hours plus 2 years experience for massage therapist, or 100 hours for massage technician.
Contact:
Delaware Committee of Massage Practice
Cannon Building, suite 203
861 Silver Lake Blvd.
Dover, DE 19904
(302) 739-4522, ext. 205
District of Columbia requires 500 hours education.
Contact
District of Columbia Licensing board
(202) 727-7823
Florida requires 500 hours education.
Contact:
Division of Medical Quality Assurance
Board of Massage Therapy
Northwood Centre
1940 N. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399
(850) 488-6021
Hawaii requires 570 hours education or 150 hours plus 420-hour apprenticeship.
Contact:
Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Professional and Vocational Licensing Division
PO Box 3469
Honolulu, HI 96801
(808) 586-3000
Iowa requires 500 hours education.
Contact:
Iowa Massage Therapy Board
321 E. 12th St.
Lucas State Office Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-6959
Louisiana requires 500 hours and the NCE.
Contact:
Louisiana Board of Massage Therapy
PO Box 1279
Zachary, LA 70791
(225) 658-8941
Maine requires 500 hours or NCE.
Contact:
Maine Department of Professional and -Financial Regulation
Division of Licensing and Enforcement - Massage Therapists
State House Station #35
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 624-8624
Maryland requires 500 hours education until 1/1/02, 60 accredited college hours thereafter.
Contact:
Maryland Board of Chiropractic Examiners
4201 Patterson Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21215
(410) 764-4738
Mississippi requires 700 hours of education from an accredited school, and national certification exam. This is new legislation that took effect January 1, 2002.
Contact:
Mississippi Board of Massage Therapy
PO Box 12489
Jackson, MS 39236
(601) 957-7040
Missouri requires 500 hours.
Nebraska requires 1000 hours education.
Contact:
Nebraska Department of Health, Credentialing Division
301 Centennial Mall South
PO Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2117
New Hampshire requires 750 hours education.
Contact:
Dept. of Health and Human Services
Bureau of Health Facilities Administration
6 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-4594
New Jersey requires 500 hours or the NCE for use of term "Massage Therapist" or "Massage Practitioner"
New Mexico requires 650 hours education or 300 hours plus experience.
Contact:
New Mexico Board of Massage Therapy
PO Box 25101
Santa Fe, NM 87504
(505) 476-7090
New York requires 1,000 hours.
Contact:
New York State Education Department
State Board for Massage Therapy
Cultural Education Center, Room 3041
Albany, NY 12230
(518) 474-3866
North Carolina requires a minimum of 500 hours from a Board-approved
school, plus passing the National Certification Exam.
Contact:
North Carolina Board of Massage & Bodywork Therapy
PO Box 2539
Raleigh, NC 27602
(919) 546-0050
North Dakota requires 750 hours education at a COMTA approved school.
Contact:
North Dakota Massage Board
PO Box 701
Dickinson, ND 58601
(701) 225-3906
Ohio requires 600 hours education over at least 12 months.
Contact:
Ohio State Medical Board
77 South High St., 17th floor
Columbus, OH 43266
(614) 466-3934
Oregon requires 500 hours.
Contact:
Oregon Board of Massage Technicians
3218 Pringle Rd. SE, Suite 250
Salem, OR 97302
(503) 378-2070
Rhode Island requires 500 hours education at an AMTA approved school or 1000 hours.
Contact:
Rhode Island Department of Health
Room 104, Cannon Building
Three Capitol Hill
Providence, RI 02908
(401) 222-2827 ext. 112
South Carolina requires 500 hours education.
Contact:
South Carolina
Department of LLR
Massage Therapy Board
PO Box 11329
Columbia, SC 29211
(803) 896-4830
Tennessee requires 500 hours education or the NCE.
Contact:
Board of Massage Therapy
First Floor, Cordell Hull Building
425 5th Ave North,
Nashville, TN 37247-1010
(615) 532-5083
Texas requires 300 hours education.
Contact:
Texas Massage Therapy Registration
Texas Department of Health
1100 W. 49th St.
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 834-6616
Utah requires 600 hours education at a COMTA approved school or 1000 hour apprenticeship.
Contact:
Utah Department of Commerce
Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing
Herbert M. Wells Building
160 East 300 South
PO Box 45805
Salt Lake City, UT 84145
(801) 530-6551
Virginia requires 500 hours education.
Contact:
Virginia Board of Nursing
6606 West Broad St., 4th floor
Richmond, VA 23230
(804) 662-9909
Washington requires 500 hours education.
Contact:
Washington Department of Health
Massage Licensing Program
PO Box 47867
Olympia, WA 98504
(360) 586-6351
West Virginia requires 500 hours.
Contact:
Massage Therapy Licensure Board
PO Box 8038
South Charleston, WV 25303
(304) 736-0621
Wisconsin requires 600 hours at an approved school and proof of $1,000,000 liability insurance.
Contact:
Department of Regulation and Licensing
Secretary Marlene Cummings
1400 E. Washington Ave. / P.O. Box 8935
Madison, WI 53708
(608) 266-8609
From looking at this list, you can see that variations from state to state make choosing a school very important. Choosing the
wrong school can mean that when you want to move to another state, you have to start your education over again.
Canadian Licensure
The only provinces in Canada that regulate massage are Ontario (2,200 hours) and BC (3,000 hours). For more information use the following Canadian contacts:
Massage Therapist Association of Alberta
Box 24031
RPO Plaza Centre
Red Deer, AB T4N 6X6
Phone: (403) 340-1913
Fax: (403) 346-2269
Massage Therapists' Association of British Columbia
#205 - 640 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5V 1G4
Phone: (888) 413-4467
Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba
Riverview PO Box 63030
Winnipeg, MB R3L 2V8
Phone: (204) 254-0406
Fax: (204) 837-4369
New Brunswick Massotherapy Association
PO Box 21009
Fredericton, NB E3B 7A3
Phone: (506) 459-5788
Fax: (506) 465-0003
Newfoundland and Labrador Massage Therapists' Association
PO Box 23212 Churchill Square
St. John's, NF A1B 4J9
Phone: (709) 726-4006
Fax: (709) 754-0123
Massage Therapists' Association of Nova Scotia
PO Box 33103
Quinpool Post Office
Halifax, NS B3L 4T6
Phone: (902) 429-2190
Ontario Massage Therapist Association
365 Bloor Street East, Suite 1807
Toronto, ON M4W 3L4
Phone: (800) 668-2022
Fax: (416) 968-6818
Prince Edward Island Massage Therapy Association
P.O. Box 1882
Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7N5
Phone: (902) 368-8140
Fax: (416) 368-6524
Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan
PO Box 7841
Saskatoon, SK S7K 4R5
Phone: (306) 384-7077
Fax: (306) 384-7175
