Berwyn, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Berwyn regulates adult businesses through its Zoning Code, not through a separate spacing chapter. Table 1244.02-A in § 1244.02 lists Adult Use among the Commercial uses and prints a single "S" under the I column. Section 1242.02(B) establishes that column as the I Industrial District, an area set aside for low-intensity industrial development in limited parts of the city. An "S" means the business needs a special use permit under § 1252.03(C) and has to meet any standards in § 1244.03. The Use Standards column for Adult Use reads "None", so the zoning chapters print no minimum distance from schools, churches or homes for this use. Under § 1244.02(A)(3), the absence of a letter means the use is not allowed, so the C-1, C-2, C-3 and C-4 commercial districts, the P Public Areas District and the R-1 through R-4 residential districts all exclude it.

The definitions say ADULT USE includes adult cabarets, adult stores, adult theaters and other similar uses. An adult cabaret is an establishment featuring persons who appear nude or seminude, live performances emphasizing specified anatomical areas or specified sexual activities, or films and videos that emphasize them. An adult store is one with a substantial or significant portion of its sales or stock devoted to such materials, and the definition reaches any establishment with a segment or section devoted to their sale or display, or one that publicly claims itself as a purveyor of them through its signage, advertising or displays. The off-street parking schedule sets adult use at 1 space per 500 square feet of gross floor area.