Fargo City Commission votes to require background checks for massage therapy license holders

(Fargo, ND) — The Fargo City Commission voted Monday night to require the  license holder of a massage therapy business in the city undergo a background check.

The Commission, behind a 4-1 vote, with John Strand casting the lone dissenting vote, voted to amend Chapter 13 of the Fargo Municipal Code to note that the background check would be done by the chief of police or their designee, with the results of the investigation released to the public health department prior to the issuance of the license.  Strand told WDAY Radio “that issue surfaced years ago and I have consistently opposed encroaching on the massage therapy profession. These are just the final stages of that process that began some time back.”

The background check would include information about the “character, reputation and fitness of the applicant” to hold a license.