How to get a Massage Therapist license in Kentucky

Who needs a Massage Therapist license

Structured touch, pressure, movement and holding of the soft tissues to enhance or restore health and well-being; includes external water, heat, cold, lubricants and topical preparations, and devices that mimic the hands. Only licensees may use the words "massage", "massage therapist", "masseur/masseuse" or "L.M.T." in business names or advertising.⁹

Work that does not need this license:

• Massage of your own immediate family is exempt.¹⁰
• People who work only on the hands, feet or ears and do not call themselves massage therapists are exempt.¹⁰
• Students in a board-recognized program doing supervised clinical work are exempt.¹⁰

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Therapists licensed elsewhere may work temporarily in Kentucky on a disaster response team or at a charity, athletic or artistic event.¹⁰
• The board licenses individuals only; there is no state massage establishment license, and state law overrides city and county massage-therapist ordinances (local zoning and occupational license fees still apply).¹¹

Requirements for a Massage Therapist license

Minimum age

18 years old²

Education or training

At least 600 clock hours²
Board-approved massage therapy program: at least 600 hours of supervised instruction (or an approved associate degree with a massage therapy emphasis). Minimum curriculum: 125 hours anatomy, physiology or kinesiology; 200 hours massage/bodywork theory, technique and practice; 200 hours business of massage therapy; 40 hours pathology; 35 hours at the school's discretion. The school sends an official transcript with the clock-hour breakdown directly to the board.¹²
Who may teach it: Only programs holding a Kentucky board certificate of good standing count as board approved.³
Alternative: Associate degree with a massage therapy emphasis approved by the board.²

Exam

MBLEx (FSMTB) or another board-approved licensing exam³
Given by: Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (MBLEx); also accepted: NCBTMB entry-level exam, any NCCA-approved certifying agency exam, NBCA entry-level exam, Ohio or New York state massage licensing exam³

Background check

Background check required³
Fingerprints required³
Good moral character required; applicants with a criminal history (other than minor traffic) may be interviewed by the board's Application Committee. A KSP and an FBI background check, applied for within the 90 days before the application, are required. As of November 7, 2026 the board says it can no longer accept background checks directly from applicants and cannot finalize applications until it receives its FBI ORI number.³

Residency or citizenship

No residency requirement. Non-US citizens must attach their immigration documents showing permission to work in the United States.¹²

Social Security number

The application asks for a Social Security Number.¹²

Also required

Attach a 2 x 2 inch (or larger) passport-quality color head-shot photo taken within the past 6 months; the board prints the photo on the license.³

Also required

The application must be signed in front of a notary.¹²

How much a Massage Therapist license costs

You pay the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Massage Therapy (2 fees), Kentucky State Police (fingerprint and state background check), FBI CJIS Division (FBI background check) and Local sheriff's office or IdentoGo (fingerprinting fee (local Sheriff's office or IdentoGo)).

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

How to apply

1. Complete at least 600 hours at a massage therapy program that holds a Kentucky certificate of good standing (or an approved associate degree), and have the school mail a sealed official transcript with the clock-hour breakdown directly to the board.³
2. Pass the MBLEx or another approved exam and have the testing agency send the results directly to the board.³
3. Get the Kentucky State Police and FBI background checks within 90 days before applying (check the board's home page first: as of November 2026 it says it can no longer accept checks directly from applicants while it waits for its FBI ORI number).³
4. Fill in the Application for Licensure as a Massage Therapist, attach a recent 2x2 color photo, sign it in front of a notary, and mail it with the non-refundable $200 fee (payable to Kentucky State Treasurer) to the board.¹² Form (PDF, bmt.ky.gov)¹⁴
5. If the application is denied, you may ask for a hearing in writing within 30 days of the denial letter.³

Application form

Form (PDF, bmt.ky.gov)¹⁴

Renewal and continuing education

How often

Every 2 years⁵

When it expires

Renew every two years on or before the anniversary of the license issue date; if payment and paperwork are not received by then, the license expires and you must stop practicing.¹⁵

Renewal fee

$200⁴

Continuing education

At least 12 hours each renewal period⁵

Required topics

3 of the 12 hours must be in professional ethics.⁵
All CE must relate to massage therapy; courses on techniques for animals do not count. A CE hour is 50 minutes.¹⁶

Approved courses

Courses approved or offered by NCBTMB, AMTA, NCCAOM, AOBTA, ABMP, FSMTB, Kentucky-approved or other state-licensed massage programs and accredited colleges count automatically; anything else needs board approval.¹⁶

Exemptions

Up to 6 CE hours may be carried into the next renewal period.¹⁶
The board may waive or extend CE for medical disability, illness, undue hardship, active military service or similar circumstances on written request with documentation.¹⁶

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $225⁴ (renewed up to 60 days after expiration)
Late renewal fee: $250⁴ (renewed 61-90 days after expiration)
Reinstatement fee: $100⁴ (expired 91 days to 1 year; paid in addition to the $250 late renewal fee)
Reinstatement fee: $150⁴ (expired 1-2 years; paid in addition to the $250 late renewal fee)
Reinstatement fee: $200⁴ (expired 2-3 years; paid in addition to the $250 late renewal fee)
Reinstatement fee: $250⁴ (expired 3-4 years; paid in addition to the $250 late renewal fee)
Reinstatement fee: $300⁴ (expired 4-5 years; paid in addition to the $250 late renewal fee)
Fee for the issuance of an inactive license: $50⁴ (placing the license on inactive status)
Annual renewal fee for an inactive license: $50⁴ (inactive license renewal)
Late renewal fee: $85⁴ (inactive license renewed 61-90 days late)
Reinstatement fee: $50⁴ (inactive to active)

If it expires

Late renewal is allowed up to 90 days after expiration; from 91 days to under 5 years you must apply for reinstatement (late fee $250 plus reinstatement fee, and 1/2 CE hour for each month expired). After 5 years you must apply as a new licensee.¹⁵
Each renewal needs a new 2x2 color photo.¹⁵

Renew online

oop.ky.gov¹⁴

Moving to Kentucky with a license from another state

These are the routes the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Massage Therapy publishes for the Massage Therapist license.

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire a massage therapist in Kentucky, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Kentucky is on the Kentucky license lookup page.

Look up a license

oop.ky.gov¹⁴

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• KRS 309.350 to 309.364
• KRS 309.359 (reciprocity)
• KRS 309.361 (renewal, CE)
• KRS 309.364 (pre-emption of local regulation)
• 201 KAR 42:020
• 201 KAR 42:035
• 201 KAR 42:040
• 201 KAR 42:070
• 201 KAR 42:110

Common questions

Massage therapist licenses in other states

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