Arcadia, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

The location rule sits in Section 9104.02.020 of the Development Code. No adult business is established anywhere in the City of Arcadia, California other than the M-1 zone, and even there it is unlawful if the site is within 50 feet of another legally established adult business or within 700 feet of any existing residential zone, park, recreation area, place of religious assembly, library, school, or day care facility. The 50 feet is measured between the nearest exterior walls of the facility or tenant space. The 700 feet is measured from the nearest exterior wall to the nearest property line of the protected use along a straight line. A building permit, business tax receipt, regulatory permit or other entitlement issued to a business that fails these tests is not legally valid.

On licensing, Article VI, Chapter 8 of the Municipal Code (Section 6802) requires the owner to obtain both an Adult Business Regulatory permit and a business license. The License Officer decides within ten working days of a completed application, with one five-working-day extension for good cause, and silence is deemed approval subject to appeal to the Business License Review Board (Section 6804). Denial grounds include failure to meet zoning or operating standards, false statements, an applicant under 18, unpaid fees, sex-offense conviction lookbacks of two years for a misdemeanor and five years for a felony, and a violation or revoked permit within the past 18 months. A denied applicant cannot reapply for the same location within one year.

Section 6805 sets operating standards: no operation between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. (adult hotels and motels excepted), exterior lighting of at least 1.50 foot-candle, interior lighting of at least 1.00 foot-candle, an on-site manager at least 21 years old, and an outside security guard. Patrons and employees must be 18, or 21 where alcohol is served (Section 6810). Performers need a separate license under Section 6701.