Amarillo, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Separation distance
- 1,000 feet minimum
- Permit
- Specific use permit required
- Governing section
- Zoning Code § 4-10-152
- Measurement
- Straight line, all directions
- Enforcing agency
- Amarillo Planning Department
Summary
In Amarillo, an adult business must sit at least 1,000 feet from homes, churches, schools, hospitals, child-care facilities, parks, hotels, and any other adult business, and it needs a specific use permit through the city's zoning code.
A structure housing an Adult Business shall be located at least one thousand (1,000) feet from any residential PD, R-1, R-2, R-3, MD, MF-1, MF-2, and MH Zoning District boundary line, or from any Structure used as a residence; from a church, Public or Denominational Schools, hospitals, licensed child care facility, Hotel or Motel, Parks or Playgrounds (public), Playfields or Stadiums (Public), Institutions of Religious, Charitable, or Philanthropic Nature, and from any other Structure housing an Adult Business.
Full Breakdown
Section 4-10-152 of the Amarillo zoning code bars any adult business structure within 1,000 feet of residential zoning districts (R-1, R-2, R-3, MD, MF-1, MF-2, MH, residential PD) or of a residence, church, public or denominational school, hospital, licensed child-care facility, hotel or motel, public park, playground, playfield, stadium, religious or charitable institution, or another adult business. Distances are measured in a straight line in all directions from the farthest projection of the structure. Adult businesses are also a specific-use-permit use under the Schedule of Uses, so the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council must approve the site. Amarillo's Planning Department enforces both the buffer and the permit.
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult business inside the 1,000-foot buffer or without the required specific use permit is a zoning violation prosecuted in Amarillo Municipal Court, carrying fines up to $2,000 per day plus abatement of the use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an Amarillo adult business be from a church or school?
Does Amarillo require a permit for an adult business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amarillo
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