Bartow County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $100.00 initial, $50.00 renewal
- Employee license fee
- $50.00 initial, $25.00 renewal
- Hours closed
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. daily
- Spacing from other SOBs/alcohol/worship
- 1,000 feet
- Spacing from day care/school/park/residential
- 500 feet
- Enforcing agency
- Bartow County Zoning Department
- Max fine
- $1,000.00 per day of violation
Summary
Unincorporated Bartow County requires a sexually oriented business license before operating any adult bookstore, cabaret, motel, theater, semi-nude model studio, sexual device shop or sexual encounter center. Businesses must also stay 1,000 feet from other adult businesses, alcohol sellers or places of worship, and 500 feet from day cares, schools, parks or residential zoning, per Bartow County Code §§ 4-65 and 4-81.
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in Bartow County without a valid sexually oriented business license. ... It shall be unlawful to establish, operate, or cause to be operated a sexually oriented business in Bartow County, unless said sexually oriented business is at least:(1)One thousand feet from any parcel occupied by another sexually oriented business, by a business licensed by the State of Georgia to sell alcohol, or by a place of worship; and(2)Five hundred feet from any parcel occupied by a licensed day care center, school, college, public park, or residence, or from any parcel that is zoned for residential uses.
Full Breakdown
An applicant files in person with the Bartow County Zoning Department using a notarized form covering identity, business location, criminal history and any past nuisance closures, along with the fee set by Sec. 00 renewal for an employee license. The administrator has 20 days to issue or deny a license under Sec. 4-66, and must deny it if the applicant is under 18, gave false information, has an unpaid fee, has a specified criminal conviction within five years, or the location fails Sec. 4-81's spacing rules.
Under Sec. on any day. The zoning administrator may occasionally inspect patron areas under Sec. 4-68. Sec. 4-70 allows a 30-day suspension for a knowing violation, and Sec. 4-71 allows revocation for false statements, drugs, prostitution, operating while suspended, or specified sexual activity on the premises; a revoked license bars reapplication for one year. Sec. 4-72 gives the respondent a hearing before the County Commissioner, set 10 to 20 days after notice, with the right to counsel and cross-examination. A sexually oriented business lawfully operating before this article's effective date gets a two-year amortization period to recoup its investment, extendable in six-month increments on a showing of financial hardship under Sec. 4-81(d)-(e).
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license, working as an unlicensed employee, or violating any other provision of Chapter 4 is punishable, upon conviction, by a fine up to $1,000.00 per violation, up to six months in jail, or both, under Sec. 4-77. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. The county may also seek an injunction in superior court to enjoin an operating business regardless of any criminal penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open an adult business anywhere in unincorporated Bartow County?
What hours can a sexually oriented business stay open?
What happens if I operate without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bartow County
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