Ashwaubenon, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Village Code § 3-2-101
- Applies to
- Class A/B/C alcohol-licensed premises
- Bans
- genital, pubic and anal exposure in performances
- Bans
- female breast exposure below top of areola
- Exempt
- theaters/civic centers of serious artistic merit
- Adopted
- Ord. No. O4-1-13, effective 4-23-2013
- Enforcement
- forfeiture plus possible license revocation
Summary
Ashwaubenon does not run a sexually-oriented-business permit or spacing scheme; instead it bans full nude and semi-nude dancing outright at any establishment holding a village alcohol license. Section 3-2-101 spells out exactly what body exposure is prohibited on a licensed premises, with a narrow exemption for legitimate theaters and performing-arts venues.
(B) Prohibitions. It is unlawful for any person to perform or engage in, or for any license or manager or agent of the licensee to permit any person, employee, entertainer or patron to perform or engage in, any live act, demonstration, dance or exhibition on the premises of a licensed establishment which shows: (1) His genitals, pubic area, vulva, anus, anal cleft or cleavage with less than a fully opaque covering; (2) Any portion of the female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola; or (3) The covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.
Full Breakdown
Section 3-2-101 applies to any 'licensed establishment,' defined as one the village board has licensed to sell alcohol under Wis. Stat. Chapter 125, covering Class A, Class B and Class C retail licenses. Subsection (B) makes it unlawful for any person, employee, entertainer or patron to perform a live act, dance or exhibition on the premises showing genitals, pubic area, vulva, anus or anal cleft with less than fully opaque covering; any part of the female breast below the top of the areola; or covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.
A licensee, manager or agent who permits such a performance is equally liable. Subsection (C) exempts theaters, performing arts centers, civic centers and dinner theaters that regularly offer serious dance, ballet, music or dramatic performances, so long as the venue's predominant business is not sexual stimulation and it is not promoted around nude erotic dancing. The ordinance was adopted by Ord. No. O4-1-13 effective 4-23-2013 and sits in the same article of Chapter 3 as the village's other alcohol-conduct rules, meaning it is enforced through the licensing system rather than a separate zoning or permitting track for adult businesses.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Section 3-2-101 falls under Article 2's general penalty at Section 3-2-109: a forfeiture set under Section 1-1-13, with the court authorized to revoke any alcohol license or permit held by the violator. Because the ban runs through the establishment's liquor license, a bar that permits prohibited nude dancing risks both a forfeiture and losing the license that lets it sell alcohol at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a bar in Ashwaubenon host fully nude dancing?
Is topless dancing legal at a licensed Ashwaubenon establishment?
Does the village require a special permit for a strip club?
Can a community theater put on a burlesque or dance performance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ashwaubenon
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brown County handle adult entertainment.