Anaheim Municipal Code Title 18 strictly zones adult entertainment businesses, requiring buffer distances from schools, churches, parks, and residential zones, with conditional use permits and licensing required.
Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 18.54 regulates sexually-oriented businesses including adult bookstores, theaters, and cabarets. These uses are confined to limited industrial zones and must maintain minimum 1,000-foot buffers from schools, places of worship, public parks, daycare facilities, and residential zones. Operators must obtain a conditional use permit from the Planning Commission and a regulatory business license from the City Clerk. Performers must hold individual permits and meet age-verification requirements. The Anaheim Resort District and Disney-adjacent areas exclude all such uses entirely. State law preempts total bans, but Anaheim's tight zoning effectively limits availability.
Operating without permits triggers misdemeanor charges, daily civil penalties up to $1,000, license revocation, and abatement injunctions; performers without permits face misdemeanor citations.
See how Anaheim's adult entertainment rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.