A school psychologist bill quietly made massage therapy continuing education mandatory in Ohio—with real penalties for non-compliance.
Most Ohio auto service owners don't realize that a bill ostensibly about school psychologists—SB276—contains a provision that fundamentally changes licensing requirements for massage therapists. If your shop employs or contracts with massage therapy staff, this change affects your compliance obligations and bottom line.
Effective upon enactment of SB276, Ohio converted massage therapy continuing education from optional to mandatory. The old rule, codified in section 4731.155, allowed massage therapists to renew their licenses without formal continuing education. That provision has been repealed. In its place, section 4731.191(A) (found on Page 26 of the bill) now requires continuing education as a condition of license renewal.
This is not a suggestion. It is a legal requirement for license renewal.
This applies directly to:
• Massage therapists employed by auto service shops (for example, those offering massage or wellness services as part of a broader service menu)
• Independent massage therapists who contract with or operate within auto service facilities
• Shop owners responsible for ensuring staff maintain valid, compliant licenses
The compliance burden is real. Massage therapists must now:
• Enroll in and complete approved continuing education courses
• Pay course fees out of pocket or have the business absorb them
• Spend work time away from billable services to complete the requirement
• Track deadlines and documentation to prove compliance at renewal
Failure to comply carries automatic consequences: license forfeiture and penalty reinstatement fees to restore the license. Those fees and the administrative burden of reinstatement fall on the business if the therapist cannot or does not complete the requirement before the renewal deadline.
Because this change was buried in an unrelated bill about school psychologists, many massage therapy providers and the businesses that employ them may not yet be aware of the new requirement. License renewal deadlines vary by individual, so some therapists may face the requirement sooner than others. Checking your staff's renewal dates now—before a deadline passes—is prudent.
If you employ or contract with massage therapists, verify:
• When their current licenses expire
• Whether they are aware of the new CE requirement
• What approved courses are available in your area
• Who bears the cost (therapist, business, or shared)
SB276 transformed massage therapy licensing from a permissive model to a mandatory continuing education model, effective immediately upon enactment. The legal citation is section 4731.191(A). Non-compliance results in license loss and reinstatement penalties. If massage therapy is part of your service offering, this is a compliance item that requires attention now, not at renewal time.
For a free, business-specific guide to understanding this requirement and compliance steps, contact your local chamber of commerce or trade association.