Massage License Requirements in North Carolina

Fee Breakdown

Continuing Education

24 hours every 2 years, including 3 ethics hours.

21 NCAC 30 .0701(c) requires 24 hours of continuing education per 2-year renewal period (12 hours if the initial licensure period was between 1–2 years), including at least 3 contact hours specifically in professional ethics. Distance learning may not exceed 12 hours (6 for a shorter period) of the total, and business management may not exceed 8 hours. Beginning with the renewal period ending Dec. 31, 2024, a minimum of 12 hours must be completed in-classroom, per the Board's CE Requirements page.

Licensure by Endorsement

Governed by N.C. Gen. Stat. §90-630.1 (the older NCAC reciprocity rule was repealed effective Dec. 1, 2009). Two pathways: (a) applicants from a jurisdiction that licenses/certifies/registers massage therapists must meet NC's base qualifications, hold a current credential in good standing from a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent or higher standards, have no pending disciplinary action, pass the Board's jurisprudence exam, and demonstrate English proficiency if foreign-credentialed; (b) applicants from a jurisdiction with no such credentialing system must meet the same base qualifications, pass a Board-approved competency exam, have graduated from a school with a curriculum substantially equivalent to NC's and properly licensed/approved (or exempt) in its home jurisdiction, and also pass the jurisprudence exam. The Board maintains a list of jurisdictions determined to have substantially equivalent standards.

Local & City Requirements

N.C. Gen. Stat. §90-636 ('Regulation by county or municipality') states: 'Nothing in this Article shall be construed to prohibit a county or municipality from regulating persons covered by this Article, however, a county or municipality may not impose regulations that are inconsistent with this Article.' So counties/cities may add their own regulation as long as it doesn't conflict with the state Practice Act.