Pima County, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Pima County Code § 18.07.030(I)
- Allowed zones
- CB-2, CI-1, CI-2, CI-3 only
- Facility spacing
- 1,000 ft from another facility
- Sensitive-use spacing
- 500 ft from schools, parks, churches
- Permit required
- Type III conditional use, § 18.45.040(C)
- Per-lot limit
- One adult activities facility per lot
- Max penalty
- $750/day individual, $10,000/day entity
Summary
Adult activities facilities, arcades, adult bookstores, cabarets, adult theaters and massage establishments offering adult services, are allowed in Pima County's unincorporated CB-2, CI-1, CI-2 and CI-3 zones only as a Type III conditional use, and only if they sit at least 1,000 feet from another such facility and 500 feet from schools, parks, churches and residential zoning under Pima County Code § 18.07.030(I).
Adult Activities Facility Standards. 1. Purpose. The purpose of this subsection is to provide for the uniform regulation of adult activities facilities by limiting the concentration of adult activities facilities through the imposition of spacing requirements, thereby mitigating crime, maintaining property values, protecting retail trade and preserving the quality of life in rural and residential neighborhoods. 2. Enclosure. An adult activities facility shall be conducted solely within an enclosed structure or building. 3. Spacing. An adult activities facility shall be at least: a. One thousand feet from another adult activity facility; b. Five hundred feet from a public, private, parochial, charter, dramatic, dancing, music, or other similar schools where children may be enrolled; c. Five hundred feet from a public park; d. Five hundred feet from a church; e. Five hundred feet from a zoning district other than CB-2, CI-1, CI-2, and CI-3. ... 5. There shall be no more than one adult activities facility per lot.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-64: Contains Supplement, with local legislation through Ordinance 2026-9, passed 7-28-2026, current through 7-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
020. The code states its purpose is to limit the concentration of these uses, mitigate crime, protect property values and retail trade, and preserve neighborhood quality of life. Every facility must operate entirely inside an enclosed structure; open-air adult entertainment isn't allowed. Measured lot-line to lot-line or lot-line to zoning boundary, a facility must sit at least 1,000 feet from any other adult activities facility, 500 feet from a public, private, parochial, charter or similar school, 500 feet from a public park, 500 feet from a church, and 500 feet from any zoning district other than CB-2 general business, CI-1 light industrial, and CI-2 and CI-3 general and heavy industrial.
No more than one adult activities facility is permitted per lot. 97 means a public hearing before a county hearing administrator and notice to surrounding property owners before the use can open. Because the spacing rule effectively excludes these uses from every rural and residential zone and from CB-1, TR, RVC and MU zoning, a qualifying site in practice has to be industrially or CB-2 zoned land in the unincorporated county, well outside Tucson's own separate adult-business ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult activities facility without the required Type III conditional use permit, or inside the spacing buffer, is a zoning code violation. Under § 18.95.030 the zoning inspector investigates complaints and refers contested cases to a hearing officer; a confirmed violation carries a civil penalty under § 18.95.040 of up to $750 per day for an individual or $10,000 per day for a corporation, with each day treated as a separate offense, plus possible injunctive action by the county attorney or an affected neighboring property owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in unincorporated Pima County can an adult activities facility legally locate?
What counts as an adult activities facility under county code?
Can two adult businesses operate next door to each other?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pima County
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