(a) No person shall offer or administer for commercial purposes a massage unless licensed pursuant to Chapter 12 of Title 3.
(b) Any license issued pursuant to this section shall be issued as a Public Health: Public Accommodations endorsement to a basic business license under the basic business license system as set forth in subchapter I-A of this chapter.
CREDIT(S)
(July 1, 1902, 32 Stat. 624, ch. 1352, § 7, par. 11; July 1, 1932, 47 Stat. 552, ch. 366; Sept. 14, 1976, D.C. Law 1-82, title I, § 104(e), 23 DCR 2461; enacted, Apr. 9, 1997, D.C. Law 11-254, § 2, 44 DCR 1575; Apr. 20, 1999, D.C. Law 12-261, § 2003(pp)(9), 46 DCR 3142; Oct. 28, 2003, D.C. Law 15-38, § 3(hh)(4)(C), 50 DCR 6913; Dec. 10, 2009, D.C. Law 18-88, § 224, 56 DCR 7413.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 47-2811.
1973 Ed., § 47-2311.
Effect of Amendments
D.C. Law 15-38, in subsec. (b), substituted “Public Health: Public Accommodations endorsement to a basic business license under the basic” for “Class A Public Health: Public Accommodations endorsement to a master business license under the master”.
D.C. Law 18-88 rewrote subsec. (a), which had read as follows:
“(a) Owners or managers of massage establishments and Turkish, Russian, or medicated baths shall pay a license fee of $300 per annum. No license shall be issued under this section without the approval of the Chief of Police. It shall be unlawful for any female to give or administer massage treatment or any bath to any person of the male sex, or for any person of the male sex to give or administer massage treatment or any bath to any person of the female sex, in any establishment licensed under this section. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be punished as hereinafter provided in this chapter; and, in addition to such penalty, it shall be the duty of the Mayor of the District of Columbia to revoke the license of the owner or manager of the establishment wherein the provisions of this section shall have been violated.”
Emergency Act Amendments
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 3(hh)(4)(C) of Streamlining Regulation Emergency Act of 2003 (D.C. Act 15-145, August 11, 2003, 50 DCR 6896).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 224 of Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-181, August 6, 2009, 56 DCR 6903).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 224 of Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-227, October 21, 2009, 56 DCR 8668).
Legislative History of Laws
For legislative history of D.C. Law 1-82, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 47-2808.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 12-261, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 47-2801.
For Law 15-38, see notes following § 47-2404.
Law 18-88, the “Omnibus Public Safety and Justice Amendment Act of 2009”, as introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 18-151, which was referred to the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. The bill as adopted on first and second readings on June 30, 2009, and July 31, 2009, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on August 26, 2009, it was assigned Act No. 18-189 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 18-88 became effective on December 10, 2009.
Miscellaneous Notes
Office of Major and Superintendent of Metropolitan Police abolished: The Office of the Major and Superintendent of Metropolitan Police was abolished and all functions of that office transferred to and vested in the Chief of Police. The Assistant Superintendent, Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Police Department was designated “Deputy Chief of Police, Executive Officer”; the Assistant Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police in command of the Detective Bureau was designated “Deputy Chief of Police, Chief of Detectives”; and each other Assistant Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police was designated “Deputy Chief of Police” by Reorganization Order No. 7, dated September 16, 1952. Reorganization Order No. 7 was replaced by Organization Order No. 153, dated November 10, 1966.
Exemption of massage therapists: Section 3 of D.C. Law 10-205, as amended by D.C. Law 11-110, provided that persons licensed to practice as a massage therapist under that act are exempt from the provisions of § 47-2811.