Aurora, CO Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Sexually-oriented business + manager license
- Zoning
- Industrial zones only
- Buffer distance
- 1,500 ft from churches, schools, homes
- Other adult businesses
- 1,500 ft separation required
- Minimum age
- 18 (21 for nude performers)
Summary
Aurora, Colorado confines sexually-oriented businesses to industrial zones and requires a city license, with 1,500-foot buffers from churches, schools, homes, parks and other adult businesses.
(a) No license shall be issued under this division for any sexually-oriented business within any zone district other than industrial zones... (c) It shall be unlawful to operate...a sexually-oriented business within 1,500 feet of: (1) Any church; (2) Any school...; (3) The boundary of any residential district; (4) An existing dwelling unit (single or multiple); or (5) A public park adjacent to any residential district. (d) ...within 1,500 feet of another sexually-oriented business.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-30, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under Aurora City Code § 86-548, no one may operate a sexually-oriented business (adult arcade, bookstore, cabaret, theater, or nude model studio) in the city without a sexually-oriented business license, and managers need a separate manager's license. Section 86-556 confines licensed operation to industrial zone districts only and bans operation within 1,500 feet of any church, school, residential-district boundary, existing dwelling unit, a public park adjacent to a residential district, or another sexually-oriented business. No two such businesses may share one building. Hours are also restricted under § 86-553, and patrons and performers must be 18 or older under § 86-554.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license, operating outside an industrial zone, or violating the 1,500-foot buffer is unlawful under §§ 86-548 and 86-556; the licensing administrator can deny, suspend or revoke a license, and separate criminal penalties apply under the code's general offense provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a sexually-oriented business open anywhere in Aurora?
Does Aurora require a special license for adult businesses?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Aurora
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Arapahoe County handle adult entertainment.