Chattanooga, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License fee
- $1,000 per establishment, yearly
- Entertainer permit
- $100 per employee/entertainer
- Buffer distance
- 500 feet from homes, schools
- Hours
- Closed 3 a.m.-8 a.m. weekdays
Summary
Chattanooga requires a city license, with background checks, fingerprints, and a criminal-history bar, to operate an adult-oriented establishment, and zoning keeps them at least 500 feet from homes, schools, and parks.
Except as provided in subsection (e) below, from and after the effective date of this article, no adult-oriented establishment shall be operated or maintained in the City of Chattanooga without first obtaining a license to operate issued by the City of Chattanooga.(b)A license may be issued only for one (1) adult-oriented establishment located at a fixed and certain place. Any person, partnership, or corporation which desires to operate more than one (1) adult-oriented establishment must have a license for each.(c)No license or interest in a license may be transferred to any person, partnership or corporation.(d)It shall be unlawful for any entertainer, employee or operator to knowingly work in or about, or to knowingly perform any service directly related to the operation of any unlicensed adult-oriented establishment.(e)All existing adult-oriented establishments at the time of the passage of this article must submit an application for a license within one hundred twenty (120) days of the passage of this article on third and final reading. If a license is not issued within said one-hundred-twenty (120) day period, then such existing adult-oriented establishment shall cease operations. (Code 1986, § 11-423)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code Article XIV bars operating an adult-oriented establishment, bookstores, cabarets, theaters, escort services and similar businesses, without a $1,000 city license, renewed yearly, plus a $100 permit for each entertainer or employee. The treasurer must deny a license if an owner, officer, or major stockholder was convicted of a felony, prostitution, or obscenity offense within five years. Separately, zoning Sec. 38-42(a) keeps adult uses at least 500 feet from any residential zone or use, and 500 feet from a park, house of worship, school, day care, or another adult use, measured lot line to lot line. Establishments must close 3:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. weekdays and 3:00 a.m.-noon Sundays.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a $1,000 license, employing an unpermitted entertainer, opening within the 500-foot buffer, or staying open past closing hours can mean license revocation, denial for five years, and a fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult business be from a home or school in Chattanooga?
What does a Chattanooga adult-oriented establishment license cost?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chattanooga
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