Maine Massage License: Cost & Requirements (2026)

Last updated: September 11, 2026

Maine licenses massage therapists on an either/or most states don’t offer: pass the national exam or show 500 approved training hours — not both. Entry costs $61 all in ($40 license + $21 State Police background check), renewal is $40 a year, and OPOR’s licensing page lists no continuing-education requirement — making this one of the cheapest real massage credentials in the country. The other thing to understand is what the license actually protects: the titles. Maine law forbids claiming to be a “massage therapist” or “massage practitioner” without the license, while exempting named modalities that stay away from those words.

What Maine Actually Requires

Under 32 M.R.S. §14306-D, every applicant must be 18 or older with a high school diploma or equivalent, pass the State Police criminal background check, and satisfy one of two routes:

• The exam route: pass the examination sponsored by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork or the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (the MBLEx), or another organization approved by the department. Pass it, and Maine does not ask for your hour count.
• The education route: complete a department-approved program of 500 or more supervised clock hours. The core curriculum must include at least 120 hours of human anatomy, physiology and pathology; massage theory, technique and practice (gliding strokes, kneading, direct pressure, deep friction, percussion, compression and the rest of the listed repertoire); contraindications, universal precautions, body mechanics, business, history, ethics and draping standards; and at least 100 hours of supervised hands-on practice.
• Education-route extra: current First Aid and CPR certification taught by an instructor certified by a nationally recognized organization — and those hours may not be counted toward the 500.
• Already licensed elsewhere? Licensure by endorsement exists (§14306-H) for therapists in good standing in another jurisdiction.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
Application / license	$40.00	Paid to OPOR through the online licensing portal
State Police background check (SBI)	$21.00	Required with the application — $61 total to enter
Annual renewal	$40.00	Due on the anniversary of your original license
Late renewal penalty	$50.00	Assessed on licenses renewed after expiration
MBLEx (if taking the exam route)	Paid to FSMTB	The exam route replaces the 500-hour proof entirely
Massage school (education route)	Tuition varies	Program must be department-approved; transcript goes to OPOR
Maine LLC	$175 + $85/yr	Certificate of formation + annual report due June 1

By statute, no single fee under the massage chapter may exceed $100 annually (§14306-G) — Maine’s cheapness is legislated, not accidental.

The Title Rule: What the License Actually Protects

Maine’s prohibition (§14306-C) is precise: a person may not claim to be a “massage therapist” or a “massage practitioner” unless licensed, with violations punished under Title 10, §8003-C. Around that sit two exemptions (§14307):

• Other licensed professionals — physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, cosmetologists, registered nurses and similar — may perform soft-tissue manipulation within their own professions, as long as they do not use the protected titles.
• Named modalities — rolfing, Trager, reflexology, Shiatsu, Reiki and polarity — are exempt from the chapter entirely, provided the practitioner avoids the massage titles (and any of them may voluntarily license).

The practical read: a working massage practice needs the license, because the license controls the words a massage practice runs on — the sign, the website, the booking page, the insurance application. The exemptions matter mostly in the other direction: a Reiki or reflexology practice that never says “massage” is legal without one. If your marketing will say massage, get licensed and skip the edge cases.

Setting Up the Practice, In Order

1. Pick your route — already passed the MBLEx or NCBTMB? Apply on the exam. Otherwise confirm your program is on the department’s approved list before enrolling, and keep the transcript detailed (Maine wants hours per subject).
2. Take First Aid and CPR in person from a nationally certified instructor if you are on the education route — outside the 500 hours.
3. Apply through OPOR’s online portal with the $40 fee and $21 background check.
4. Form the entity. A Maine LLC is $175, with the $85 annual report due June 1 every year after.
5. Bind liability insurance before the first client, and check the town office for local business licensing or home-studio zoning — the massage chapter leaves home rule intact.
6. Diary two clocks: the license renews on your anniversary date ($40; $50 late penalty), and the LLC report lands every June 1.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get a massage license in Maine?

Through the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, and Maine gives you a choice most states don’t: qualify by EITHER passing an approved national examination – the NCBTMB exam or the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards’ MBLEx – OR by completing a department-approved training program of 500 or more hours. You do not need both. Either way you must be 18 or older, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and pass a State Police background check.

What does the Maine massage license cost?

It is one of the cheapest real massage credentials in the country: a $40 license fee plus a $21 State Police criminal background check – $61 all in. The license renews annually on the anniversary of your original license at $40, with a $50 late penalty after the expiration date. By statute, no single fee in the massage chapter may exceed $100 a year, and OPOR’s licensing page lists no continuing-education requirement for renewal.

What counts as the 500 hours for the Maine education route?

The department’s core curriculum requires 500 supervised clock hours of classroom and clinical instruction, including at least 120 hours of human anatomy, physiology and pathology; instruction in massage theory, technique and practice; coursework in contraindications, universal precautions, body mechanics, business, history, ethics and draping standards; and at least 100 hours of supervised hands-on practice. You also need current First Aid and CPR certification from a nationally certified instructor – and those hours may not be counted toward the 500.

Can you practice massage in Maine without a license?

Maine’s prohibition is written around the title: a person may not claim to be a “massage therapist” or “massage practitioner” unless licensed, with penalties under Title 10, section 8003-C. The statute exempts other licensed professionals doing soft-tissue work within their own professions, and practitioners of modalities like rolfing, Trager, reflexology, Shiatsu, Reiki and polarity – so long as they avoid the protected titles. In practice, a massage business needs the license: advertising massage therapy under the protected titles is exactly what a practice does.

Does Maine license massage establishments?

No. The massage chapter licenses individuals only – there is no state massage establishment license, and section 14310 leaves home rule intact, so municipalities may have their own business licensing or zoning rules. Check with the town office where you will practice, and expect the ordinary business layer: a registered entity, liability insurance for the lease, and local zoning for a home studio.

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

Sources

Source	What It Covers
32 M.R.S. §14306-D — Qualifications	The either/or routes: NCBTMB/FSMTB or approved exam, OR 500+ department-approved hours; age 18+; high school diploma
32 M.R.S. §§14306-C, 14307, 14309	The title prohibition, the exemptions for licensed professionals and for rolfing/Trager/reflexology/Shiatsu/Reiki/polarity, and the Title 10 §8003-C penalty hook
Maine OPOR — Massage Therapist Licensing	The $40 license fee, $21 SBI background check, $40 annual anniversary renewal, and the $50 late penalty
Maine OPOR — Core Curriculum Requirements	The education route: 500 supervised hours, 120-hour anatomy/physiology/pathology minimum, 100 hands-on hours, and the First Aid/CPR rule (not countable toward the 500)
Maine Secretary of State — Division of Corporations	$175 LLC certificate of formation and the $85 annual report due June 1