Massage Therapy Permit Requirements in Bellevue, NE

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Nebraska Massage Therapy License (DHHS)

   Massage therapists in Nebraska must be licensed by the DHHS Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit under the Massage Therapy Practice Act, and must practice in a Nebraska-licensed massage therapy establishment. Requirements are at least 1,000 hours of massage therapy education distributed over a term of not less than nine months, passing the MBLEx administered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, and passing Nebraska's free open-book jurisprudence examination (50 multiple-choice questions on massage therapy and massage therapy establishments). Reflexology is included in the practice of massage therapy and requires the same license. A temporary license is available to someone who meets every requirement except the MBLEx, working under a licensed supervisor. Licenses expire November 1 of odd-numbered years and require 16 continuing education hours to renew.

   Official government source

   $110 for the two-year license cycle, prorated down to $27.50 depending on the month and year the license is issued. Temporary license: $25. The MBLEx fee is paid separately to FSMTB; the Nebraska jurisprudence exam is free. Fee waivers are available for young workers under 26, low-income applicants and military families.·DHHS does not publish a processing time. Licenses expire November 1 of odd-numbered years regardless of when issued, which is why the fee is prorated.

   $110 for the two-year license cycle, prorated down to $27.50 depending on the month and year the license is issued. Temporary license: $25. The MBLEx fee is paid separately to FSMTB; the Nebraska jurisprudence exam is free. Fee waivers are available for young workers under 26, low-income applicants and military families.

   DHHS does not publish a processing time. Licenses expire November 1 of odd-numbered years regardless of when issued, which is why the fee is prorated.

2. Nebraska Department of Revenue — Sales and Use Tax Permit

   Any business selling taxable goods or taxable services in Nebraska must hold a sales tax permit from the Nebraska Department of Revenue and collect tax at the combined state and local rate for the delivery location. Register online through the Department's business registration service or by filing paper Form 20; NebFile is the separate system used to file returns once you are registered, not the registration tool. Local city sales and use taxes are layered on top of the state rate and change by quarter, so use the Department's Sales Tax Rate Finder for the exact rate at each address rather than assuming a flat figure.

   Official government source

   $0 — the Nebraska Department of Revenue charges no fee to register for a sales and use tax permit, online or by paper Form 20.·Registering online, you are either assigned a Nebraska ID number at the time of registration or contacted by the Department within five business days for additional information. Allow about two weeks for a paper Form 20.

   $0 — the Nebraska Department of Revenue charges no fee to register for a sales and use tax permit, online or by paper Form 20.

   Registering online, you are either assigned a Nebraska ID number at the time of registration or contacted by the Department within five business days for additional information. Allow about two weeks for a paper Form 20.

1. Bellevue Business Licensing — no general business license required

   Bellevue does not require a general business license for businesses operating within city limits, and there is no annual license that must be renewed and displayed at your place of business. The City Clerk's page enumerates every license and permit that office issues — fireworks permits, handicapped parking permits, liquor licenses, tobacco licenses, trash hauler licenses, pawnbroker licenses, vendor/solicitor licenses, event/event-participation licenses, hunting waiver permits, and annual occupation tax stickers for vending machines and distributors — and a general or all-purpose business license is not among them. Check whether your specific business type falls into one of those regulated categories; if it does not, no city license is required. State-level obligations still apply: register your entity or trade name with the Nebraska Secretary of State, register with the Nebraska Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or services, and obtain any state professional license your trade requires.

   Official government source

   $0 — Bellevue charges no general business license fee because no such license exists. The specific regulated licenses the City Clerk does issue are priced individually; contact the Clerk's office for those.·Not applicable — there is no general business license application to file.

   $0 — Bellevue charges no general business license fee because no such license exists. The specific regulated licenses the City Clerk does issue are priced individually; contact the Clerk's office for those.

   Not applicable — there is no general business license application to file.

2. City of Bellevue Certificate of Occupancy and Zoning Confirmation

   A commercial space used as a massage therapy practice in Bellevue needs a Certificate of Occupancy from the Bellevue Building Division (Permits & Inspections, 1510 Wall Street, 402-293-3014), which also confirms the location is zoned for personal service uses — this is handled by the Building Division and Planning, not the City Clerk, whose licensing role is limited to specific categories such as liquor, tobacco and vendor/solicitor licenses. Apply through the city's online portal at app.govwell.com/bellevue-ne. Note that DHHS separately requires you to practice in a Nebraska-licensed massage therapy establishment, which is a distinct state license from the city's occupancy approval.

   Official government source

   Bellevue's adopted fee tables (1997 Uniform Administrative Code Tables 3-A through 3-D) are valuation- and unit-based and contain no standalone Certificate of Occupancy line item — the occupancy approval is handled through the building permit process, where fees start at $23.50 for work valued up to $500 and rise with valuation. Reinspections and out-of-hours inspections are $47.00 per hour. Confirm the current charge for your project with the Building Division at 402-293-3014.·Bellevue publishes no guaranteed turnaround. Timing depends on whether tenant build-out requires a permit and plan review and on inspection scheduling; permits and inspections are tracked through the GovWell portal.

   Bellevue's adopted fee tables (1997 Uniform Administrative Code Tables 3-A through 3-D) are valuation- and unit-based and contain no standalone Certificate of Occupancy line item — the occupancy approval is handled through the building permit process, where fees start at $23.50 for work valued up to $500 and rise with valuation. Reinspections and out-of-hours inspections are $47.00 per hour. Confirm the current charge for your project with the Building Division at 402-293-3014.

   Bellevue publishes no guaranteed turnaround. Timing depends on whether tenant build-out requires a permit and plan review and on inspection scheduling; permits and inspections are tracked through the GovWell portal.

Official Sources

• Nebraska Massage Therapy Practice Act — License
• City of Bellevue City Clerk

Related Guides