How to get a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) license in Oregon

Oregon massage therapist licenses

Oregon issues 3 massage therapist credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for several of the Oregon massage therapist licenses on this page, so they are shown once here, with the licenses they apply to. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

1. Every license level (all 3)

Requirements

Minimum age

18 years old¹

How to apply

Apply online

public.orlicensing.oregon.gov³⁵

2. Every license level except Temporary License per ORS 676.308 (military spouse or domestic partner)

Fees

3. Every license level except Facility Permit (massage facility)

Fees

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years²

Who needs a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) license

Use of pressure, friction, stroking, tapping or kneading, or vibration or stretching, by manual or mechanical means, for compensation and for purposes other than sexual contact; excludes high-velocity, short-amplitude manipulative thrusts to the spine or extremities.¹

Work that does not need this license:

• Exempt: other Oregon licensees acting within their license; athletic trainers and school/public athletic departments; supervised students in certified classes (unpaid); nonresident licensed practitioners teaching, consulting or on disaster teams for up to 30 days; psychotherapy/counseling practitioners; reflexology limited to hands, feet and ears; certified movement, minimal-touch and energy practitioners (e.g. Feldenkrais, Trager, Ortho-Bionomy, Bowenwork, Polarity) who do not claim to be massage therapists.¹
• Without a license a person may not practice or purport to practice massage, advertise massage, or use the word "massage" in a business name.¹

Requirements for a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) license

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1, group 2 and group 3 under Applies to every license level.

Education or training

At least 625 clock hours²

The board's words

“(d)(A) Have completed a minimum of 625 contact hours of certified classes in the following subjects:”

Who may teach it: Certified classes: Oregon-licensed career schools, community colleges approved by HECC, accredited colleges/universities, or out-of-state schools approved where located; schools must be approved by the Board; transcripts from schools not in good standing with national massage associations are refused.²
Alternative: Health indorsement for holders of an active Oregon license in a Board-approved health-related field who document at least 300 hours of massage theory/practical application, clinical practice, business, communication, ethics and sanitation; requires the practical and jurisprudence exams ($350 per practical exam).²

Exam

Board-approved national written examination: MBLEx (FSMTB), NCBTMB Therapeutic Massage (TM) or Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (TMB), or CESI (CBSI)³
Given by: FSMTB (MBLEx), NCBTMB, or CBSI (CESI)³
Time limit: Apply with licensing payment within one year after notice of passing the qualifying exam; all information for an initial license must arrive within 12 months of the application date.¹

Exam

Oregon Jurisprudence (Law) Examination³
Given by: Oregon Board of Massage Therapists (online)³
25 multiple-choice questions, open book, taken online³

Background check

Background check required²
Fingerprints required³
Electronic fingerprints (Fieldprint) go to Oregon State Police and the FBI; applicants disclose arrests/convictions with court records. The Board makes a professional-fitness determination weighing the crime, its relevance, time passed and other circumstances; convictions do not automatically disqualify.²
You can ask the board to review your record before you apply²

Also required

Current Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR certification (AHA BLS Healthcare Providers or equivalent, card with expiration date) at application and every renewal.²

Also required

Supporting documents: official sealed transcripts, a 2x2 color photo taken within 12 months, government-issued photo ID, and three references who do not live with the applicant.¹

Also required

Applicant must be of good moral character.¹

Also required

Documents in another language need an accurate English translation with notarised affidavits, at the applicant's cost.²

How much a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) license costs

You pay OBMT (7 fees) and Fieldprint (FBI background check).

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

How to apply

1. Complete 625 hours of certified massage education (or qualify for credentialing review) and pass a Board-approved national written exam (MBLEx, NCBTMB or CESI); results must be sent by the exam provider.³
2. Submit the online registration request and pay the $135 application fee plus the $47.25 fingerprint processing fee.³ public.orlicensing.oregon.gov³
3. Log in with the emailed customer number and PIN and complete the online application, uploading or mailing transcripts (sealed), photo, ID, three references and BLS card.³
4. Take the online open-book Oregon Jurisprudence Examination using the emailed link.³
5. Get electronic fingerprints through Fieldprint (code FPORMassTherapistsDAS; about $12.50 to Fieldprint).³
6. After approval, pay the initial license fee ($135 if your first renewal is under 12 months away, otherwise $270); the license is then issued.³

Temporary or provisional license

Nonresident practitioners licensed elsewhere may practice up to 30 days a year without an Oregon license for teaching, disaster response or consulting; beyond 30 days they need a temporary practice permit (max 180 days per calendar year). Military spouses/domestic partners can get a temporary license.¹

Processing time

Fingerprint results can take up to 20 days to reach the Board from Oregon State Police.⁶

Renewal and continuing education

When it expires

Licenses expire on the last day of the birth month — in even years for people born in even years, odd years for odd birth years; renewal is due by the 1st day of the expiration month and opens online 60 days before.²

Renewal fee

$270²

Continuing education

At least 25 hours each renewal period²

Required topics

At least 8 supervised hours, of which at least 4 in Professional Ethics, Boundaries or Communication²
At least 1 hour in Cultural Competency²
Oregon Pain Management Commission pain management module (1 hour online), at least once²
Hold a current Basic Life Support (BLS) card²
Maximum 17 of 25 hours unsupervised (self-study, webinars, Board meetings up to 3 h)²

Approved courses

Supervised CE from licensed/accredited massage programs, providers recognized by massage professional organizations, accredited colleges, licensed health-care providers (incl. LMTs), or AHA/OSHA-compliant CPR providers; in person or interactive distance learning with a syllabus.²

Exemptions

No CE is required for the first renewal after the initial license.²

Late renewal

Late renewal fee: $25⁴ (per week late, maximum $100)
Inactive License: $135² (biennial renewal in inactive status)
Reinstatement fee: $135⁴ (returning from inactive to active mid-cycle; fee table adds the $47.25 fingerprint processing fee (total $182.25))

If it expires

Random CE audit of at least 10% of monthly renewals; 30 days to respond; keep CE records 5 years.²

Renew online

public.orlicensing.oregon.gov³

Moving to Oregon with a license from another state

These are the routes OBMT publishes for the Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) license. The other massage therapist licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Facility Permit

A permitted facility may provide massage only through Oregon-licensed massage therapists; the permit is valid only for the printed location and business name and the facility is responsible for its staff and contractors.²

Requirements

Business requirements

Oregon Secretary of State business registration verification; entities also submit articles/shareholder agreements showing ownership; owner information form and government ID for each owner; copies of other permits (e.g. city license).⁸

Also required

Display the permit visibly, display LMT employees' original licenses, and put the permit number in all massage advertising; meet lavatory, sanitation and treatment-space standards.⁹

Fees

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

How to apply

1. Register the business (or assumed business name) with the Oregon Secretary of State.⁸
2. Apply online (same portal as license applications) or with the 04/2025 Facility Permit Application packet, with owner forms, IDs, other permits and the $270 fee.⁸ public.orlicensing.oregon.gov⁵
3. Display the permit and use the permit number in all advertising once issued.⁹

Application form

Form (PDF, oregon.gov)⁷

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 2 under Applies to every license level.

Temporary License per ORS 676.308

Requirements

Also required

Spouse or domestic partner of an active-duty U.S. Armed Forces member transferred to Oregon by military order.²

Also required

Attest that license verification has been requested from the state where authorized to practice and that no discipline is pending there.²

Fees

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

How to apply

1. Apply through the Board's online application with the military-spouse documents and all fees that apply to a permanent license.² public.orlicensing.oregon.gov³
2. Before the temporary license ends, submit marriage/partnership proof, the Oregon duty-station order, proof you meet Oregon qualifications (incl. exams), one year of practice in the last three, and out-of-state authorization to convert to a permanent license.²

Renewal

When it expires

Valid until the earliest of: two years after issuance; the end of the service member's term of service in Oregon; or expiry of the other state's authorization.²

From another state

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 3 under Applies to every license level.

Check a license or report a problem

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

Look up a license

public.orlicensing.oregon.gov³

File a complaint

public.orlicensing.oregon.gov³

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• ORS 687.011 to 687.250 (Massage Therapists), 2023 Edition
• OAR 334-010 Massage Licensing
• OAR 334-010-0033 Fees (eff. 04/01/2025)
• ORS 687.021(1)(b), 687.059 (massage facilities)
• OAR 334-010-0005(13)-(14), 334-010-0006; OAR 334-020-0005
• OAR 334-010-0033(1)(p)-(t)
• OAR 334-010-0005(11)-(12)
• OAR 334-010-0033(1)(c)-(d)

Rule changes since January 2024

• July 1, 2025: OAR 334-010-0015 (Licensure) amended by BMT 2-2025.²
• April 1, 2025: OAR 334-010-0033 (Fees) amended by BMT 1-2025.²

Common questions

Massage therapist licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin