EDMOND — A new state law principally authored in the House by Rep. Preston Stinson, R-Edmond, is already helping cities like Edmond strengthen oversight of massage parlors tied to illicit activity while increasing transparency and public safety protections for residents.
This week, the Edmond City Council unanimously approved emergency zoning amendments prohibiting opaque window tinting at massage businesses and requiring greater transparency for storefront operations following multiple prostitution-related investigations and arrests in recent years.
The local action comes months after Senate Bill 644, authored by Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, and principally carried in the House by Stinson, became law clarifying that Oklahoma cities and counties retain authority to regulate zoning and licensing requirements for massage therapy businesses.
According to the House bill summary, SB 644 specifically clarifies that the Oklahoma Massage Therapy Practice Act “does not affect local zoning or licensing requirements for massage therapy businesses.”
Stinson and other Edmond-area lawmakers advanced the measure after local officials and law enforcement raised concerns about repeated criminal investigations tied to several massage parlors operating in the city.
Edmond officials cited a string of prostitution-related arrests dating back several years, including undercover investigations in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The city’s new ordinance bans opaque storefront tinting and requires state-issued massage licenses to be publicly displayed inside businesses.
The measure gives municipalities clearer legal footing to adopt local safeguards without conflicting with state licensing law — an issue city leaders said had previously created uncertainty.
Under SB 644, the state continues to regulate massage therapists through the Oklahoma Massage Therapy Practice Act, but cities and counties are now explicitly permitted to enforce zoning rules and occupational licensing requirements for massage businesses.
The law took effect Nov. 1, 2025.
Edmond Mayor Mark Nash said the city’s new ordinance is intended to address ongoing problems while avoiding unnecessary burdens on legitimate businesses.
“This is trying to deal with the problem that we’ve got,” Nash said during Tuesday’s council meeting, according to reporting by The Journal Record.
City officials said existing massage businesses will have until the end of 2026 to comply with the updated regulations.
The ordinance marks an early example of how SB 644 is expanding local governments’ ability to respond to public safety concerns tied to massage businesses while preserving legitimate operations.
Original reporting by The Journal Record
