New Hampshire Massage License: Cost & Requirements (2026)

Last updated: August 24, 2026

New Hampshire is about to start licensing the business, not just the therapist. HB1469 became Chapter 305 on July 10, 2026 and takes effect July 1, 2027, making it a misdemeanor to run a massage establishment without an establishment license. If you are planning a studio, that is the single most important date on this page. The therapist license itself costs $121 for two years, requires no criminal background check, and rests on an education rule that does not say 750 hours — whatever you have read elsewhere.

What New Hampshire Actually Requires

Start with the education rule, because the number everyone publishes is wrong. The current rules were readopted effective October 17, 2025, and they define a qualifying massage therapy school two ways:

• An accredited school — accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA), the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES), or the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). The rule attaches no separate hour count to this route.
• A non-accredited school — which must require at least 725 hours over not less than 6.5 months, broken down as 150 hours anatomy and physiology; 375 hours history, theory, practice, benefits and contraindications of massage and related modalities including Swedish massage and hydrotherapy; 50 hours hygiene and sanitary practices including blood-borne pathogen standards and adult CPR and first aid; 50 hours health service management, business practices and ethics; and at least 100 practical hours that are individually documented.

Those 100 practical hours are documented client by client: a signed client information form, session notes for each session, and a school log the school signs off at the end of the program. The school must keep those records for at least three years and make them available for inspection.

The rest of the requirements:

• Pass the MBLEx, or any other written certifying examination recognized by at least one third of the states that license massage therapists.
• Be at least 18 on the date of application.
• Clear the conviction bar. You cannot be licensed if you have been convicted, in New Hampshire or any other state, of any crime involving violence inflicted on or threatened against a person, or any sexually-related crime. You submit a statement to that effect, or an explanation of each conviction including jurisdiction, date, sentence, and any rehabilitative action you have taken.
• Submit written evidence of good mental and physical health — meaning physically and mentally capable of performing massage therapy — or an explanation of what prevents you from verifying it.
• Send an official copy of your diploma or certificate from the qualifying school.

Online study is allowed, but only for the parts that are not hands-on. Distance learning courses may not be palpation-dependent, and every hands-on course must be taken in person at the school. The rule also requires online courses to post learning goals, provide a discussion board, virtual classroom, responsive email and live chat, schedule weekly live contact with the instructor, and update an online gradebook within 10 working days.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
Massage therapist license	$121	Two years. Same fee for initial application, renewal, or reinstatement after expiration
Active military or military spouse	$0	The rules waive the application and licensing fee outright, on initial licensure and renewal
Continuing education	Varies	12 hours per two-year licensing period
Massage school	Tuition varies widely	The dominant cost; check the accreditation before enrolling
Massage establishment license	Not yet set	Required from July 1, 2027; fees will be set in rules the OPLC has still to adopt
Local establishment license	Varies by town	Derry, for example, charges $150 a year
New Hampshire LLC	$100	Certificate of formation, RSA 304-C
New Hampshire annual report	$100	Due by April 1 each year; $50 late fee after that

Two figures you will see elsewhere are out of date. The fee has been $121, not $110, since July 1, 2025. And the education requirement has not been a flat 750 hours since the rules were readopted in October 2025. If a page quotes you either number, it has not been checked this year.

One thing New Hampshire does not charge you is sales tax — the state has no general sales tax, so unlike therapists in many states you have no question to answer about whether the service is taxable. The state’s business taxes are the Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax; check the current rates and filing thresholds with the Department of Revenue Administration before you assume you are below them.

July 1, 2027: New Hampshire Starts Licensing Massage Establishments

This is new law, and it is already signed. HB1469 passed both chambers, was approved on July 10, 2026 as Chapter 305, and takes effect July 1, 2027. It inserts a new section, RSA 328-B:14, into the massage statute.

What it does:

• It becomes a misdemeanor for any person, as owner, manager or agent, to open, establish, conduct or maintain an establishment without first obtaining an establishment license.
• A “massage establishment” is defined as a commercial location where massage is advertised and where massage is performed by more than one licensed massage therapist. Both halves matter.
• The establishment must be at all times under the direct supervision and management of a professional licensed under the chapter.
• An owner who is not a licensed therapist can still hold the license, provided they employ a licensed massage therapist as manager — but that does not let the owner personally perform massage.
• The license must be conspicuously posted in the establishment, and only licensed establishments may use the terms “licensed massage establishment” or “massage establishment.”
• Fees will be set in rules the executive director has yet to adopt, so nobody can tell you the price today. The same rulemaking will cover licensing standards, health and safety standards, inspection standards, requirements to open, close, relocate or renew, public display and recordkeeping, and procedures for notifying law enforcement of suspected unlawful activity.

The exemption that decides it for most solo practitioners — and the trap inside it. The establishment requirement does not apply to a sole proprietor of his or her own business, or to independent contractors. A sole proprietor is defined as someone who owns the business alone and has no employees. But if a sole proprietor or independent contractor provides services without a prior appointment, they must obtain an establishment license. Walk-in trade pulls you back in, however small you are. If your model is drop-in massage at a storefront, plan for the license even as a one-person business.

Also outside the definition: locations where massage is offered as an adjunct to medical care in a facility operated by licensed health care professionals working in their scope; temporary and incidental massage offered in the open in public accommodations, which is the chair-massage-at-an-event case; residential care and health facilities licensed under RSA 151:2; and any further exceptions the rules create.

The same act builds a parallel regime for bodywork. Reflexology, structural integration and Asian bodywork therapy get their own establishment license under a new RSA 328-H:18, on the same misdemeanor terms. If you run a mixed studio, both chapters will reach you.

Chapter 305 also changes when licenses expire. Renewal currently runs to the last day of your birth month in an even-numbered year; from July 2027 expiration follows RSA 310:8 instead.

Before You Open a Practice: Premises, Background Checks and Out-of-State Licenses

Does New Hampshire license massage establishments?

Not until July 1, 2027 — and then yes, as set out above. Between now and that date the only establishment licensing in New Hampshire is municipal, and some towns are well ahead of the state.

Derry is the worked example. The town adopted Chapter 56 of its code on October 19, 2023, and it is stricter than most people expect:

• No firm, corporation, LLC, partnership or person may maintain an establishment — or advertise or hold itself out as being in the business — without the town license. Advertising alone is enough to need one.
• $150 a year, running April 1 to March 31, with renewal notice 30 days before.
• No license is issued if the applicant, or any director, officer or principal, has been convicted in any state of a felony, a sexually related crime, or a crime involving moral turpitude within the last 10 years, unless the record has been annulled. That reaches your investors, not just you.
• There must be a New Hampshire-licensed practitioner on site, and the owner is responsible for filing updated licenses when someone is hired and when an existing license expires.
• The license is not transferable, and a transfer of 50% or more of ownership terminates it. Changes to owners or officers must be reported within 14 days.
• The Health Department may inspect at any time the business is open, without prior notification.
• Operating hours are capped: no earlier than 9:00 a.m., no later than 11:00 p.m., and all main entrance doors and treatment room doors must stay unlocked during business hours.
• Detailed facility rules: massage in a private one-room cubicle or booth; clean sheets and towels per client; no alcohol, drugs or food on the premises; hot and cold running water; hand washing immediately before and after each massage; at least 580 lumens lit in each room whenever open; water baths capped at 105°F and dry heat cabinets at 185°F with 30-minute exposure limits; colon irrigation prohibited.

Ask your town before you sign a lease, and ask again in 2027. A town ordinance and the coming state license are separate requirements, not alternatives.

Does New Hampshire require a background check?

No, and the rule says so explicitly. Plc 904.06(b) provides that no criminal background check shall be required for an initial massage therapist license application. There is no fingerprinting step.

What exists instead is a statutory bar and a discretionary records request.

• The bar: under RSA 328-B:6, I(c) you must not have been convicted, in New Hampshire or any other state, of any crime involving violence inflicted on a person or threatened against a person, or any sexually-related crime. You attest to this, or explain each conviction in detail.
• The records request: RSA 328-B:4, IV lets the executive director ask the commissioner of safety for a report of state and federal criminal records on any applicant where that would be useful in evaluating the application. It is discretionary, not routine.
• The bar survives reciprocity. When the executive director waives requirements for an out-of-state licensee, the age requirement and this conviction bar are the two things that cannot be waived.
• Grounds for later discipline are broader than the entry bar and include conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude, which is not in the initial bar.

Towns can be stricter, and Derry is: its 10-year look-back covers felonies, sexually related crimes and moral turpitude, and it applies to directors, officers and principals as well as the applicant.

Can you transfer an out-of-state massage license to New Hampshire?

New Hampshire’s reciprocity provision is unusually broad and unusually discretionary. Under RSA 328-B:6, III, the executive director may waive any requirement for licensure for an applicant who, on the date of application, holds a valid license issued by any other state or country — but only if that licensing body’s requirements are substantially equivalent to or not less than New Hampshire’s.

Read that carefully. It is not a checklist you satisfy, it is a judgment the executive director makes about your home jurisdiction. Two requirements are carved out and can never be waived: being at least 18 on the date of application, and the conviction bar.

If your state does not measure up, there is a temporary license. Under RSA 328-B:5-a it goes to someone who attended a massage therapy program in another state and does not currently meet the requirements for licensure, provided they:

• Are at least 21 on the date of application — three years older than the ordinary license threshold, which catches people out;
• Clear the same conviction bar and pay the application fee;
• Have completed a massage therapy program of at least 500 educational hours; and
• Can document practicing as a massage therapist in another state for at least one year.

It is valid for one year from the date of issue and cannot be renewed. Its purpose is to give you that year to finish whatever education or examination New Hampshire still wants, so treat the year as a deadline you work backwards from.

The massage compact is not an option here. The Interstate Massage Compact would let a multistate license travel, but as of August 2026 New Hampshire has no compact legislation, adopted or pending, and the compact is not yet issuing multistate licenses anywhere. Use the waiver or the temporary license.

The Advertising Rule Most New Licensees Break

New Hampshire is specific about how you may present yourself, and the penalties are itemized.

• Your license number must appear with your name in any display advertising — phone book, newspaper, or website — that identifies specific licensees, and on all business cards, pamphlets and other informational or educational material given to clients or the public.
• You must keep a copy of your license available for inspection on request of a client, a potential client, an employer, a potential employer, or an inspector.
• It is a prohibited act to act or advertise as a massage therapist for compensation without a license. The administrative fine for advertising as a licensed massage therapist without holding one is $500 for each publication of the advertisement — per publication, not per campaign.
• Other fines run to a maximum of $3,000 per violation: $3,000 for willfully practicing without a license, $3,000 for falsifying a license, $500 for false or fraudulent information on an application, and $750 for each willful failure to cooperate with an investigation.
• Employers are on the hook too. RSA 328-B:3, VI makes it a prohibited act to hire as an employee massage therapist any person who does not hold a license. Verify before the first shift.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Check the school’s accreditation first. COMTA, ABHES or ACCET is the clean route; anything else has to hit 725 hours across the five prescribed blocks.
2. Confirm the hands-on courses are taught in person if any part of the program is online.
3. Pass the MBLEx before applying — New Hampshire wants the exam done first.
4. Apply through the OPLC with the $121 fee, your diploma, exam documentation, the health statement and the conviction statement. If you are active military or a military spouse, the fee is waived.
5. Check your town. Some already license the establishment, with their own conviction bars and inspection powers.
6. Form the entity and bind liability insurance before the first client.
7. Put your license number on the website, the cards and the pamphlets on day one, not after the first complaint.
8. If you are opening a multi-therapist studio, diary July 1, 2027 and watch OPLC rulemaking for the establishment license standards and fees.

Staying Licensed

Licenses run two years. Today they expire on the last day of your birth month in an even-numbered year; from July 1, 2027 expiration follows RSA 310:8. Renewal is the same $121, and is again free for active military and military spouses.

Continuing education is 12 hours per licensing period — and New Hampshire is fussy about where it comes from. To count, a course must clear three separate tests:

• Sponsored by a professional association that specializes in massage therapy education, or a post-secondary institution;
• Instructed by a provider approved by the NCBTMB or the FSMTB; and
• Covering listed subject matter — anatomy, physiology, massage theory and techniques, benefits and contraindications, kinesiology, hydrotherapy, joint movement, allied bodywork techniques, communicable disease control, hygiene and sanitary practice and similar — at a level above what is required to prepare for initial licensure.

A generic online wellness course will fail at least one of those tests. Check the provider’s NCBTMB or FSMTB approval before you pay. At renewal you report each course by name, dates, sponsor and hours, and that submission is your attestation that you met the requirement.

Miss the renewal and the license is simply expired — there is no grace period built into the massage rules. You may not practice. If it has been under a year you can reinstate; once it has lapsed beyond that you apply for a new license from the beginning.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours does New Hampshire require for a massage license?

It depends on your school’s accreditation, and the widely published figure of 750 hours is not what the current rule says. Under Plc 904.03, a qualifying massage therapy school is one accredited by COMTA, ABHES or ACCET. A school that is not accredited by one of those three must require at least 725 hours of study over not less than 6.5 months, made up of 150 hours of anatomy and physiology, 375 hours of massage theory and practice, 50 hours of hygiene and sanitary practices including blood-borne pathogens and adult CPR and first aid, 50 hours of business practices and ethics, and at least 100 documented practical hours.

How much does a New Hampshire massage license cost?

$121 for a two-year license. The same fee covers initial application, renewal, and reinstatement after expiration. An applicant who is active military or a military spouse pays no application and licensing fee at all.

Does New Hampshire require a background check for a massage license?

No. The rules say so in as many words: Plc 904.06(b) provides that no criminal background check shall be required. What New Hampshire has instead is a statutory bar. Under RSA 328-B:6, you cannot be licensed if you have been convicted, in New Hampshire or any other state, of any crime involving violence inflicted on or threatened against a person, or any sexually-related crime, and you must submit a statement to that effect. The executive director may also request state and federal criminal records on any applicant. Towns can be stricter: Derry refuses an establishment license if any owner, director or officer has a felony, sexually related or moral turpitude conviction in the last 10 years.

Do you need a license to open a massage business in New Hampshire?

Not yet from the state, but that changes on July 1, 2027. HB1469 became Chapter 305 of the 2026 laws on July 10, 2026, and it creates RSA 328-B:14, under which it is a misdemeanor to open, establish, conduct or maintain a massage establishment without an establishment license. A massage establishment is a commercial location where massage is advertised and performed by more than one licensed therapist. Sole proprietors and independent contractors are exempt unless they provide services without a prior appointment. Until then the only licensing is municipal, and some towns already do it: Derry has required a $150 annual establishment license since 2023.

Can you transfer an out-of-state massage license to New Hampshire?

Often, and the waiver is unusually broad. Under RSA 328-B:6, III the executive director may waive any requirement for licensure for an applicant holding a valid license from another state or country, provided that body’s requirements are substantially equivalent to or not less than New Hampshire’s. Only two things can never be waived: being at least 18, and the conviction bar. If you do not qualify, there is a temporary license for someone who is at least 21, completed a program of at least 500 educational hours, and can document practicing in another state for at least one year. It lasts one year from issue and cannot be renewed.

Forming the company, taxes, insurance, and hiring are covered in our full guide to starting a business in New Hampshire.

Sources

Source	What It Covers
NH OPLC — Massage Therapists Advisory Board	The licensing authority, application portal and current board guidance
RSA 328-B — Massage Therapists	Age and conviction requirements at 328-B:6, the reciprocity waiver at 328-B:6 III, the temporary license at 328-B:5-a, the prohibition on hiring unlicensed therapists at 328-B:3 VI, and the 12-hour continuing education mandate
NH Admin Rules Plc 900 — Massage Therapists	Qualifying schools and the 725-hour non-accredited curriculum, the MBLEx requirement, the express statement that no criminal background check is required, license-number advertising duties, continuing education sourcing rules, and the administrative fine schedule
NH Admin Rules Plc 1002.24 — Fees	The $121 two-year application processing and licensing fee, effective July 1, 2025
Chapter 305, Laws of 2026 (HB1469) — Final Version	The massage establishment license at RSA 328-B:14 and the bodywork equivalent at RSA 328-H:18, the sole proprietor and prior-appointment exemption, approval on July 10, 2026 and effective date of July 1, 2027
Town of Derry Code, Chapter 56 — Massages, Saunas and Other Baths	The $150 annual town establishment license, the April to March term, the 10-year conviction bar reaching officers and principals, no-notice inspections, operating hours and facility standards
RSA 304-C — New Hampshire Limited Liability Company Act	The $100 certificate of formation fee, the $100 annual report fee due by April 1, and the $50 late filing fee
NH Department of Revenue Administration	Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax rates and filing thresholds