Iowa

The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy adopted new rules that require massage therapists who treat children and dependent adults to complete mandatory reporter training.

Learn how this may affect your continuing education requirements and submit comments before December 6, 2022.

The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy (Board) is proposing new rules that would require massage therapists who treat children and dependent adults to complete mandatory reporter training. Submit your commentary to the Board by November 8, 2022.

The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy adopted new massage therapy rules that impact the following sections: definitions, licensure by examination, qualifications for foreign applicants, and license display requirements. The new rules will be effective August 17, 2022.

House File 2168 adds massage therapists to the list of persons required to report child and dependent adult abuse and will now be required to complete training on this subject as a condition of licensure effective July 1, 2022.

Licensees who received waivers have until September 23, 2021, to renew—after that date they must reactivate their licenses. For those renewing an active license by December 31, 2021, submit your obtained 16 hours of CE. Those renewing after December 31, 2021, will need eight hours of in-person CE.

On June 2, 2020, the Iowa Board of Massage Therapy adopted a new rule change effective August 19, 2020, that revises the mandatory training requirements for child and dependent adult abuse reporting.

In Iowa, House File 188 (HF188), has been introduced to remove the licensure requirement for massage therapists. It also expands the current law to penalize an individual or business who advertises or represents an unlicensed individual as being licensed.

The Iowa Supreme Court  issued a recent opinion establishing that, under Iowa law, the unlicensed practice of massage does not rise to the level of a criminal misdemeanor. As a result, there have been increased efforts by many cities and towns in Iowa to enact local ordinances directed at massage therapy which may impact your practice. 

Rules were enacted at the end of 2016 changing some of the continuing education (CE) requirements for massage therapists in Iowa. Under the rules now in place: