Billings, MT Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted zones
- CBD, CX, I1, I2 only
- Residential/school/park buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Adult-business separation
- 600 feet
- Classified uses
- arcade, bookstore, cabaret, motel, theater
- Variance allowed
- No, not reduction-eligible
Summary
Billings zoning restricts sexually oriented businesses to four commercial/industrial districts and imposes a 1,000-foot buffer from residential zones, schools, parks, and day cares, plus 600 feet from other adult businesses.
(a)A sexually oriented business shall not be operated within one thousand (1,000) feet of any of the following:(1)A neighborhood, residential, or mixed-use zone.(2)Any planned development zone that allows residential uses unless such zone is separated from the location of a sexually oriented business by an interstate highway.(3)Land uses:(i)Public library;(ii)Public playground or park (for purposes of this section, publicly owned multiuse trails shall be deemed to be a park);(iii)Public or private school and its grounds, from pre-school through twelfth grade;(iv)A state licensed community residential facility, family day care home, group day care home, day care center, religious assembly; or(v)A cemetery.(b)A sexually oriented business shall not be located within six hundred (600) feet of another sexually oriented business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Billings zoning code Sec. 27-1005.B classifies adult arcades, adult bookstores/video stores, adult cabarets, adult motels, and adult motion picture theaters as sexually oriented businesses. These uses are allowed only in the Central Business District, Heavy Commercial (CX), Light Industrial (I1), or Heavy Industrial (I2) zones. A sexually oriented business cannot open within 1,000 feet of a residential or mixed-use zone, a public library, playground or park, a school, a licensed day care or religious assembly, or a cemetery, and cannot locate within 600 feet of another sexually oriented business. Distances are measured property line to property line.
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented business outside the four permitted zones or within the required 1,000/600-foot buffers violates Billings zoning code and can trigger enforcement action or permit denial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a sexually oriented business operate in Billings?
How far must adult businesses be from each other?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Billings
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