Brockton, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed zone
- I-3 Heavy Industrial only
- Permit type
- Special permit, Zoning Board of Appeals
- Spacing distance
- 1,500 feet from listed uses
- Existing-business deadline
- 90 days to apply after adoption
- Permit lapse
- 1 year if use not established
- Disqualifying convictions
- G.L. c.119 §63; c.272 §28
Summary
Brockton confines adult bookstores, adult motion picture theaters, adult paraphernalia and video stores, and nude dancing establishments to I-3 Heavy Industrial zones, and only with a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Every such use must sit at least 1,500 feet from residential zones, schools, churches, day care centers, parks and any other adult use citywide.
(c)[Special permitted use.] All such adult use activities as defined herein shall be allowed only in I-3 Heavy Industrial Zones and only as a special permitted use subject to the following restrictions: Adult uses shall be permitted only when located outside the area circumscribed by a circle which has a radius consisting of the following distances from the specified uses or zoning districts: One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet from any residence zone (R1-A, R1-B, R1-C, R-2, R-3) or any residential use; One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet from any public or private school; One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet from any church or other religious facility or institution; One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet from any day care center; One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet from any OS open space zone or any public park; Adult uses shall be permitted only when located one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet from any other adult use.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
1(c) allows adult use activities only in I-3 Heavy Industrial Zones as a special permitted use, and only outside a 1,500-foot radius measured from any residence zone (R1-A, R1-B, R1-C, R-2, R-3) or residential use, any public or private school, any church or religious facility, any day care center, any open-space zone or public park, and any other adult use. The Zoning Board of Appeals is the special permit granting authority and adopts rules governing plan size, contents and submission procedure, filed with the city clerk.
c. 40A, § 9A. Any adult bookstore, theater, paraphernalia store, video store or nude dancing establishment already operating when the ordinance took effect had 90 days to apply for the permit. A special permit lapses if the use is not established within one year, including any time spent on a pending appeal. c. c. 272, § 28 (obscene matter).
Violations & Fines
Because the permit runs through the citywide zoning enforcement scheme, the inspector of buildings will not issue a certificate of occupancy for a nonconforming adult use (§ 27-52), and an unpermitted or out-of-zone operation can be ordered vacated until it complies. A special permit that sits unused for one year automatically lapses, and no permit issues to an applicant with a disqualifying conviction under G.L. c. 119, § 63 or c. 272, § 28.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Brockton can an adult-oriented business legally operate?
How far must an adult use be from a school or church in Brockton?
Who reviews and grants the adult-use special permit?
Can someone with a related criminal record get this permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brockton
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