In November 2025, the Louisville Metro Council voted for a proposed ordinance to help stop human sex trafficking in the city. The ordinance was then subsequently signed into law by Mayor Greenberg and went into effect February 1, 2026.

This ordinance, however, unfairly and without cause suggests legitimate massage therapists are the problem. Instead of putting forth concrete steps to impede sex trafficking it instead imposes regulations, restrictions, and cost burdens onto state-licensed therapists, especially those who choose to work out of their home. Traffickers do not comply with licensing laws. They do not follow inspection rules. They do not maintain honest records. They do not follow an ethical code. This ordinance will not stop criminals. It simply burdens the compliant. 

We, the undersigned residents of Louisville/Jefferson County, urge the Louisville Metro Council to reconsider the recently passed massage therapy licensing ordinance.

We believe Louisville can fight human sex trafficking without harming legitimate healthcare providers or violating client privacy and we support strong and effective efforts to combat human sex trafficking but without burdening state-licensed massage therapists—many of whom are small business owners, sole proprietors, or healthcare-adjacent providers. Specifically, we are concerned that the ordinance:

• Duplicates existing state licensing and oversight
• Creates privacy risks for clients through mandatory identification and record-keeping
• Imposes costly surveillance and compliance requirements on small businesses
• Disproportionately harms home-based and sole practitioners
• Drives illicit operations further underground while forcing compliant businesses to leave the city

We respectfully request that the Metro Council:

• Resend the ordinance to committee for further review
• Strip the word "massage" out of the ordinance entirely as the targeted criminals are not providing massage services by licensed practitioners, or
• Amend the ordinance to exempt state-licensed massage therapists, especially sole proprietors operating legitimate practices, and
• Remove provisions that unnecessarily burden clients and small businesses