Casa Grande, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing instrument
- Adult Entertainment Ordinance, adopted by Resolution No. 2089
- Criminal penalty
- Up to $2,500 fine or 6 months jail, or both
- Civil injunction
- City may sue for injunction under § 5.24.030
- Liability standard
- Strict liability; licensee liable for employees' violations
- Amendment process
- § 5.24.120 needs zoning-amendment procedure; others by council vote
- Zoning treatment
- Allowed only in listed districts subject to Ch. 5.24 licensing
Summary
The City of Casa Grande regulates sexually oriented businesses through Chapter 5.24, which adopts by reference the city's Adult Entertainment Ordinance (Resolution No. 2089) as the governing licensing standard. Violating the chapter or the incorporated ordinance is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $2,500 and six months in jail, and the city may also sue for a civil injunction against a noncompliant operator.
That certain document known as "The Adult Entertainment Ordinance of the City of Casa Grande, Arizona," three copies of which are on file in the office of the city clerk which document was made a public record by Resolution No. 2089 of the city is referred to, adopted and made a part hereof as if fully set out in this chapter. ... Any person who violates any provision of this chapter or of the city code as amended by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for a term not to exceed six months, or by both fine and imprisonment. ... ... B. A licensee of a sexually oriented business is jointly and individually liable for violations of and offenses under this chapter by the employees of the sexually oriented business, and for all civil and criminal sanctions or remedies for such violations and offenses, including but not limited to license suspension or revocation, prescribed herein.
Full Breakdown
Casa Grande Municipal Code Chapter 5.24, Sexually Oriented Businesses, does not print a stand-alone licensing scheme in the code text itself; instead § 5.24.010 declares that "The Adult Entertainment Ordinance of the City of Casa Grande, Arizona," three copies of which are kept on file with the city clerk, is adopted and made a part of the chapter as if fully set out, having been made a public record by City Resolution No. 2089. That incorporated ordinance, not the printed chapter, carries the licensing procedure and any locational standards for operators.
The zoning use tables in Title 17 list "sexually oriented businesses subject to licensing requirements of Chapter 5.24" as a use permitted only in specified zoning districts, tying land-use approval directly to compliance with the chapter's licensing scheme. Enforcement is both criminal and civil: § 5.24.020 makes any violation of the chapter or of the code as amended by it a misdemeanor, punishable on conviction by a fine of up to $2,500, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Section 5.24.030 lets the city pursue a civil injunction against a violator in addition to criminal prosecution and any licensing sanctions such as suspension or revocation.
Section 5.24.040 makes every offense a strict-liability offense requiring no proof of culpable mental state, and holds a licensee jointly and individually liable for violations committed by the business's employees. Amendments to § 5.24.120 of the incorporated ordinance can only be made through the same legal procedure required to amend zoning regulations, while other sections may be amended directly by a city council vote under § 5.24.050.
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented business in violation of Chapter 5.24 or the incorporated Adult Entertainment Ordinance is a misdemeanor under § 5.24.020, punishable by a fine of up to $2,500, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. The city can also pursue a civil injunction under § 5.24.030, along with license suspension or revocation. Because § 5.24.040 makes these strict-liability offenses, a licensee is jointly liable for violations committed by employees of the business, with no need to prove intent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Casa Grande require a license for a sexually oriented business?
What happens if a sexually oriented business operates without complying with Chapter 5.24?
Is the business owner responsible if an employee violates the ordinance?
Can Casa Grande's Adult Entertainment Ordinance be changed by a simple council vote?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Casa Grande
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