Boca Raton, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted zoning districts
- M-3 and W-1 only
- Buffer distance
- 300 feet from listed uses
- Distance measurement
- Straight airline, property line to property line
- Hours ban
- Closed 2:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. daily
- Alcohol
- Prohibited on premises
- Offsite parking
- Valet-only, same location limits apply
Summary
Boca Raton confines every adult entertainment establishment to the M-3 and W-1 zoning districts and then keeps them 300 feet from any other regulated use, residential zoning, church, school, park or major arterial road. Combined with a 2 a.m. to noon nightly closure, the rules leave only a narrow slice of the city legally available to this use.
Sec. 28-1618. - Location restrictions. No regulated use shall be established, operated or maintained within 300 feet of: (a)Any other regulated use.(b)Property zoned as residential.(c)Any church or place of worship.(d)Any public or private school.(e)Any instructional school whose primary use exclusively caters to the instruction of children under the age of 18.(f)Any park, excluding nature parks (as described in the city's comprehensive plan).(g)Any urban principal arterial or collector road, as defined by the county comprehensive plan.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 28-1617 states that "No regulated use shall be established, operated or maintained within the city except on property zoned M-3 or W-1," and separately bans adult mini-motion picture theaters outright. Sec. 28-1618 then layers a 300-foot buffer on top of that zoning limit, prohibiting a regulated use within 300 feet of any other regulated use, any property zoned residential, any church or place of worship, any public or private school, any instructional school primarily serving children under 18, any park other than a nature park, and any urban principal arterial or collector road as defined by the county comprehensive plan.
Sec. 28-1619 measures those distances along a straight airline route between property lines and treats a multi-bay building as a single parcel, so only one regulated use can occupy a shared structure regardless of separate bays. 1 adds business-operation rules on top of the zoning restrictions: Sec. on any day, and Sec. 2 bans alcoholic beverages entirely inside an adult entertainment establishment. Offsite parking for these uses is limited to valet-only service and must itself satisfy the Sec. 28-1618(b), (f) and (g) location restrictions.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 28-1620.4 makes it unlawful to operate as an adult entertainment establishment without satisfying every requirement of divisions 12 and 12.1, and violations of the zoning location restrictions or hours of operation are punishable under the citywide penalty in Sec. 1-16, a fine of up to $500.00 or imprisonment up to 60 days, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. The city may also pursue injunctive relief or license revocation against a non-compliant establishment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Boca Raton can an adult entertainment business legally locate?
How is the 300-foot buffer measured?
Can an adult entertainment establishment in Boca Raton serve alcohol or stay open all night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boca Raton
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Palm Beach County handle adult entertainment.