The Borough of Fair Lawn Mayor and Council on Sept. 30 adopted an ordinance that prohibits ‘‘massage parlor’’ uses in several commercial and industrial zoning districts, after public comment from a local licensed massage-practice owner who objected to how the term is defined and to business-hour limits in the draft code.

The council approved the ordinance on second and final reading after a public hearing; the record shows the measure passed by roll call with all members voting in favor. Council members also tabled a separate, broader ordinance that would have banned massage parlors in all zoning districts because it was superseded by the narrower measure on the agenda.

The ordinance, as adopted, removes permissibility for the specified use in B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, I2 and I2ER zoning districts; the measure and the revised definitions in the municipal code were the subject of several months of drafting and public input, council members said during the meeting.

At the public hearing Charisse Foy, owner-operator of Massage Spa Incorporated at 10–14 Saddle River Road, told the council she is a New Jersey- and New York-licensed massage therapist and nationally board certified. Foy said she supports the borough’s intent to prevent illicit activity but objected to being categorized as a ‘‘massage parlor’’ and to proposed limits on hours.

Foy described concerns that the draft language would group fully licensed therapeutic practices with illicit businesses and said the proposed restriction that services ‘‘shall not extend beyond 8 p.m.’’ could curtail legitimate appointments for residents who commute. She urged the council to preserve distinct terminology such as ‘‘massage therapy office’’ or ‘‘somatic bodywork establishment’’ for licensed practitioners and asked for a process to address hours and safety measures such as locked doors after hours.

Council members acknowledged Foy’s comments on the record and said they intended no punitive impact on lawfully operating therapists. The council clarified that the ordinance’s ‘‘use’’ is grandfathered for existing businesses (so an established operator may continue) but that the specific zoning and operational terms in the new ordinance would apply going forward; the council noted that the grandfathering covers the right to operate the use, not exemptions from the ordinance’s operational requirements.

Council members and staff discussed practical next steps: passing the ordinance as drafted to meet public-safety and zoning goals, while directing staff to work with affected businesses and the police to explore enforcement and potential future amendments that could address concerns about hours and safety. Borough staff and councilmembers encouraged the owner to meet with police and borough officials to seek workable operational solutions.

The meeting record shows the council also adopted, on second reading, an ordinance that revised the town’s massage/bodywork regulations (the code chapter addressing sanitary, licensing and operational requirements). Another related ordinance that would have prohibited massage parlors in all zones was tabled because a later ordinance on the agenda superseded it.

Council members emphasized that medical and licensed therapeutic practices (for example, physical therapy or chiropractic performed under proper licensure) are not the target of the measure; they said the code language attempts to exclude regulated medical uses while restricting unregulated businesses that have been the subject of state comptroller reports and enforcement actions elsewhere.