Alaska Massage License: Cost & Requirements (2026)

Last updated: August 24, 2026

Alaska is one of the few states that registers the massage business itself, not just the therapist — and it charges $2,000 to investigate one that should have registered and did not. The therapist license runs $565 all in, on 625 hours of in-class instruction with an unusual cap on how much of it can be hands-on. Whether you need the establishment registration turns on a single question: who the majority owner is.

What Alaska Actually Requires

• 625 hours of in-class supervised instruction and clinical work from an approved massage school — or a board-approved apprenticeship program, which is a genuine alternative route that most states do not offer.
• A 20 percent cap on practical application. The practical portion of the curriculum may be no more than 20 percent of the total program hours. “Practical application” means hands-on application of clinical modalities. Check this against your program’s breakdown before enrolling — a hands-on-heavy program can fail the rule even at 625 hours.
• Pass a nationally recognized competency examination approved by the board. The board publishes and updates the approved list.
• Be at least 18.
• Current CPR certification — American Red Cross, American Heart Association, American Safety and Health Institute, a course adhering to current AHA guidelines, or one compliant with Joint Commission standards.
• At least two hours of bloodborne pathogens and universal precautions education, completed within the two years preceding your initial application.
• Fingerprints for a state and national criminal history check — see below.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
Application fee	$200	Nonrefundable
License fee	$290	Covers all or part of the initial biennial period
Fingerprint processing	$75	Nonrefundable
Total to get licensed	$565
Biennial renewal	$290	Every two years
Establishment registration	$300	Nonrefundable — only if you are not exempt
Establishment biennial renewal	$300
Establishment change of location	$65	Plus a fresh self-inspection report
Investigation of an unregistered establishment	$2,000	For each investigation, payable by the owner
Alaska business license	$50 a year	$25 for a sole proprietor who is 65 or older, or a disabled veteran. Required before you can register an establishment
Massage school (625 hrs)	Tuition varies widely	The dominant cost
Continuing education	Varies	16 credits per two-year period, 2 of them ethics
Alaska LLC	$250	Articles of organization — one of the higher formation fees in the country
Alaska initial report	No charge	But it must be filed after formation, or the entity falls out of compliance
Alaska biennial report	$100	Due January 2; late penalties after February 1

Alaska has three separate clocks and none of them line up. Your massage license and any establishment registration both renew on September 30 of odd years. Your state business license runs annually. And your LLC biennial report is due January 2 — in even or odd years depending on which you first filed in, with the filing window opening three months early and late penalties biting after February 1. Put all four in the calendar the week you open.

The free filing people miss: after you form the LLC, Alaska wants an initial report. It costs nothing, but skipping it puts the entity out of compliance — which matters here, because the Division notes that your entity status can directly affect your business license, and your business license is what the establishment registration depends on.

Note the two-year clock is fixed, not personal. Alaska licenses expire on September 30 of odd-numbered years regardless of when they were issued — except licenses issued within 90 days of that date, which run to the next biennial expiration. If you are licensed in, say, March of an odd year, you have paid $290 for six months. Time your application if you can.

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

Does Alaska license massage establishments?

Yes — Alaska registers them at state level, which most states do not. Since March 25, 2020, 12 AAC 79.930 has required a massage therapy establishment to register with the Board of Massage Therapists unless it is exempt.

The definition is broader than “a storefront.” A massage therapy establishment is a fixed or mobile place of business, owned by an individual, partnership, corporation, LLC or any other entity, that engages in, conducts or permits massage to be conducted for any form of compensation — or that uses the word “massage” in any solicitation or advertisement. Mobile practices and advertising alone are both inside the definition.

To register you submit four things:

• The application form provided by the department;
• A notarized, completed self-inspection report, certifying compliance with the establishment standards of operation the board adopts by reference;
• The $300 registration fee; and
• Documentation of a current Alaska business license under AS 43.70 — so the $50-a-year business license comes first.

The exemption is the whole ball game, and it turns on the majority owner. An establishment is exempt from registering if the majority owner of the business is currently licensed as one of: an acupuncturist, a chiropractor, a naturopath, a massage therapist, a physician, osteopath, mobile intensive care paramedic or physician assistant, a direct-entry midwife, an advanced practice registered nurse, or a physical or occupational therapist.

In practice: a licensed massage therapist who majority-owns their own practice does not register the establishment. A non-therapist owner — an investor, a spouse who runs the business side, a spa group — does. If you take on a partner, check who holds the majority before you assume the exemption survives.

Ongoing duties once registered:

• A change in ownership means a whole new registration — all four items above — within 30 days.
• A change in physical location means written notice within 30 days, with a new self-inspection report and a $65 fee.
• Renewal is on or before September 30 of every odd-numbered year, at $300 — the same clock as the therapist license.
• Ceasing operations requires written notice within 15 days.
• The department maintains a public registry of every registered establishment.

And the number that should decide any close call: if an inspection or complaint about an unregistered establishment leads to an investigation, the owner pays a $2,000 investigation fee — for each investigation. Against a $300 registration, guessing wrong is a bad trade.

Put your license number in every online ad

Alaska has a specific internet advertising rule: a licensed massage therapist or a registered establishment shall display the license number or the establishment’s registration number on each Internet advertisement. An “Internet advertisement” is any message in an internet medium that offers or solicits someone to use your services — which reaches your website, your booking page, your directory listings and your social profiles, not just paid ads.

Does Alaska require a background check?

Yes, fingerprint-based, through both the state and the FBI. You submit one original FD-258 fingerprint card — 8″ by 8″, printed in black or pale blue ink on cardstock, with the FBI privacy statement on the back — directly to the board, which forwards it to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. DPS runs a state criminal justice information check and sends the prints to the FBI for a national criminal history record check.

• Cards get rejected for being the wrong type, for incomplete or incorrect information or signatures, or for improperly rolled prints — and a new card and fee may then be required. Have them taken somewhere that does this routinely.
• Your application is not complete until the criminal justice information arrives, though the request itself does not hold up administrative processing of the rest.
• Information arriving after your license issues can still be acted on. If criminal justice information raising questions about your qualifications comes in post-issuance, the board takes it up then.
• You have 30 days from being notified by DPS of an adverse report to challenge the accuracy or completeness of the state record; FBI record challenges go to the FBI directly.

Answering “yes” to a professional fitness question does not mean denial — but you must submit an explanation with the charging and closing court documents showing the final disposition. Be aware that a denial can be reported to other licensing boards and government agencies making a relevant inquiry.

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

Yes, by licensure by credentials, if you hold a current unrestricted license in a state whose requirements meet or exceed Alaska’s.

• Every state that has ever licensed you must send a completed Verification of Licensure form directly to the division — not just your current one.
• The verification must show you met or exceeded Alaska’s current standards: 625 education hours from an approved school and a board-approved national competency examination.
• The board publishes a list of states it has already reviewed and accepted. If your state is not on that list you may request a review, and additional documentation may be required — so check the list before you plan around a timeline.
• You still need current CPR certification, the fingerprint check, and the same $565 in fees.

If the verification you request does not contain everything the division needs, it falls to you — not the other state — to chase it. Request it early.

The interstate compact is not an option here. As of August 2026 Alaska has no Interstate Massage Compact legislation, and the compact is not yet issuing multistate licenses anywhere.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Check the program against both rules — 625 in-class hours, and practical application no more than 20 percent of the total.
2. Take the bloodborne pathogens and universal precautions course — two hours, and it must be within two years of applying, so do not take it too early.
3. Get current CPR certification from an accepted provider.
4. Pass a board-approved national competency examination.
5. Get an FD-258 fingerprint card taken properly and send it to the board.
6. Apply with the $565 in fees and have your school send transcripts directly.
7. Get the $50 Alaska business license — you cannot register an establishment without it.
8. Decide the establishment question on the majority-owner test, and register with the notarized self-inspection report if you are not exempt.
9. Put your license or registration number on every internet advertisement before you start marketing.

Staying Licensed

Licenses run two years and expire September 30 of odd-numbered years. Renewal is $290. One renewal notice goes out at least 30 days before expiration — and not receiving it does not excuse a late renewal.

Continuing education is 16 credits per biennial period, and two of them must be ethics. The credits must be completed between the beginning of the concluding licensing period and the time you apply. You must also hold a current CPR course — and a useful wrinkle: a hands-on CPR course through an accepted provider is itself worth two continuing education credits, so the certification you need anyway can cover an eighth of your requirement.

Continuing education must come through an approved massage school, a regionally or nationally accredited institution of higher education, or another route the board accepts.

The hard deadline to know: a license that has lapsed for three years or more cannot be renewed or reinstated at all. Under three years, reinstatement is available if you show current CPR certification and all the required continuing education. Past three years there is no route back except starting over.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours does Alaska require for a massage license?

625 hours of in-class supervised instruction and clinical work from an approved massage school, with one cap that catches people out: the practical application portion may be no more than 20 percent of the total hours of the program. Alaska also recognizes a board-approved apprenticeship program as an alternative to school entirely, which few states do. You also need current CPR certification and at least two hours of bloodborne pathogens and universal precautions education completed within the two years before you apply.

How much does an Alaska massage license cost?

$565 to get licensed: a $200 nonrefundable application fee, a $290 license fee, and a $75 fingerprint processing fee. Renewal is $290 every two years. If you also have to register an establishment, that is a further $300 to register and $300 to renew biennially.

Do you have to register a massage business with the State of Alaska?

Yes, unless you are exempt. Since March 2020, 12 AAC 79.930 requires a massage therapy establishment to register with the Board of Massage Therapists, submitting a notarized self-inspection report, proof of a current Alaska business license, and a $300 fee. The exemption is the important part: an establishment is exempt if its majority owner is already licensed as a massage therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, naturopath, physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse, direct-entry midwife, or physical or occupational therapist. So a therapist who majority-owns their own practice generally does not register; a non-therapist owner does. Getting it wrong is expensive: each investigation of an unregistered establishment carries a $2,000 fee.

Does Alaska require a background check for a massage license?

Yes. You submit a fingerprint card, which the board forwards to the Alaska Department of Public Safety for a state criminal justice information check and to the FBI for a national criminal history record check. Your application is not considered complete until that information is received. The check does not stop the rest of your application being processed, but if information raising questions arrives after your license has been issued, the board can act then. You have 30 days to challenge an adverse state report after being notified.

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

Yes, through licensure by credentials, if you hold a current unrestricted license in a state that meets or exceeds Alaska’s standards. Each state that has ever licensed you sends a verification form directly to the division confirming you met the 625-hour education standard and passed an approved national competency exam. The board publishes a list of states it has already reviewed and accepted; if yours is not on it you can ask the board to review it, and additional documentation may be required. The fees are the same $565, and you still need current CPR certification.

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

Sources

Source	What It Covers
Alaska Board of Massage Therapists	The licensing authority, application forms, the approved examination list, and the list of states the board has reviewed as equivalent
Massage Therapist License by Examination — Application Instructions (08-4659)	The $200 application, $290 license and $75 fingerprint fees totaling $565, the 625-hour and 20 percent practical requirements, CPR and bloodborne pathogens documentation, the FD-258 fingerprint process, the September 30 odd-year expiration and the three-year lapse cutoff
Massage Therapist License by Credentials — Application Instructions (08-4756)	The verification-from-every-state requirement, the equivalency standard, and the board’s published list of reviewed states
AS 08.61 and 12 AAC 79 — Massage Therapists Statutes and Regulations	The 625-hour and apprenticeship qualifications at AS 08.61.030, the fingerprint rule at 12 AAC 79.130, the 20 percent practical cap at 12 AAC 79.140, continuing education at 12 AAC 79.210, the establishment registration and majority-owner exemption at 12 AAC 79.930, the unregistered establishment investigation at 12 AAC 79.940, and the internet advertising rule at 12 AAC 79.950
12 AAC 02.396 — Board of Massage Therapists Fees	The $200 application, $290 license and $290 biennial renewal, the $300 establishment registration and renewal, the $65 change of location fee, and the $2,000 fee for each investigation of an unregistered establishment
AS 43.70 — Alaska Business License statutes	The $50 a year business license fee, and the $25 rate for a sole proprietor aged 65 or over or a disabled veteran
Alaska Division of Corporations — Forms and Fees	The $250 LLC articles of organization fee, the no-charge initial report, and the $100 biennial report
Alaska Division of Corporations — Biennial Reports	The January 2 due date, the February 1 late-penalty cutoff, and the even or odd year cycle set by the year you first filed