Boone County, MO Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning category
- Conditional use, M-L only
- Covered uses
- Cabaret, theater, arcade, sex shop
- Approval needed
- Board of Adjustment permit
Summary
Boone County zoning confines a 'Sexually Oriented Business', adult cabarets, theaters, video arcades, bathhouses, massage shops and sex shops, to a Conditional Use in the M-L Light Industrial District.
Sexually Oriented Business: An inclusive term used to describe collectively: adult cabaret, adult motion picture theater, video arcade, bathhouse, massage shop and/or sex shop.
Shadow Flicker: Alternating changes in light intensity caused by the moving blades of a wind energy system which cast a repeating pattern of shadows on the ground and stationary objects, such as a window of a dwelling.
Sign: Any medium or device or symbol intended to identify, inform, advertise or that is intended to attract attention to any private or public premises and, said device is placed so as to be seen from any public or quasi-public place with the intent or effect of attracting attention to the subject matter.
19 BOONE COUNTY ZONING REGULATIONS, BOONE COUNTY, MISSOURI SECTION 2
� Sign, Backlit: A sign that is composed of one or more transparent or translucent faces and that is illuminated by means of a light source from within or behind the sign that is projected through the sign face(s).
� Sign, Billboard: A freestanding sign that is greater than 120 square feet in area. � Sign, Double Faced: A sign consisting of two faces that form parallel planes,
which are the same size shape and elevation, where the distance between the two sign faces is 18 inches or less. � Sign, Electronic Message: Any sign that carries a changing message or a message
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
The zoning ordinance's definitions section groups adult cabaret, adult motion picture theater, video arcade, bathhouse, massage shop and sex shop under 'Sexually Oriented Business.' Under Section 5.A(19), that use, along with a plain Massage Parlor, is a Conditional Use only in the M-L Light Industrial District; it doesn't appear on any other district's permitted or conditional use list. Operating one elsewhere in unincorporated Boone County, or without Board of Adjustment approval, violates the ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Opening a sexually oriented business outside the M-L Industrial District, or without a conditional use permit, is a zoning violation and a misdemeanor under Section 18.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a sexually oriented business operate in Boone County?
What counts as a 'sexually oriented business' under county zoning?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boone County
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