Chesterfield County, VA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit fee
- $25.00 plus background-check cost
- Permit term
- 12 months, renewable
- Decision deadline
- 30 days, extendable 30 more
- Minimum age
- 18 for patrons, owners, entertainers
- Operating hours ban
- 2:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Enforcing agency
- Chesterfield Police Chief
Summary
Anyone wanting a business license to run an adult business in Chesterfield County must first get a $25 permit from the chief of police, valid for 12 months. The chief has 30 to 60 days to grant or deny the application, and applicants must be at least 18 and pass a fingerprint background check.
Every person desiring a business license to operate an adult business, as defined in chapter 19.1, shall first apply to the chief of police, or his designee, for a permit to conduct such activity. Each such application shall be accompanied by a fee in the amount of $25.00. This fee and the additional costs charged by the Virginia State Police to conduct the background investigation... shall be paid to the treasurer of the county when the application is filed. The permit shall be valid for a period of 12 months and may be renewed subject to the same requirements as the initial permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
1, to first apply to the chief of police for a permit before the business can be licensed. The $25 application fee, plus Virginia State Police background-check costs, is paid to the county treasurer when filed. 1. 2, the chief must act within 30 days, extendable another 30 days if awaiting outside law-enforcement information; if the deadline passes without a denial, the applicant may begin operating. The chief must deny the permit if the applicant is under 18, has falsified the application, the premises fail health, fire or building code review, fees are unpaid, zoning does not permit the use, or a prior permit under this division was suspended or revoked. A conviction for a felony or crime of moral turpitude within the past ten years is also disqualifying. m.
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult business without the required permit is unlawful under § 15-125 and subject to the general penalty in § 1-5 of the county code. The chief of police may revoke or suspend a permit under § 15-122.4 for false statements, allowing drug possession, prostitution, or obscenity offenses on the premises, refusing an inspection, or repeated qualifying offenses by employees within a 12-month period; a permittee who loses a hearing must immediately close, subject to circuit court review under § 15-122.6.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is an adult business permit in Chesterfield County?
Can the county deny an adult business permit for zoning reasons?
What hours can an adult business operate in Chesterfield County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chesterfield County
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