Chicopee, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Approval
- City Council special permit in Business A, B, C and Central Business Districts
- Residential and school buffer
- No less than 500 feet from residential districts, schools, parks, churches
- Adult use spacing
- 1,000 feet from any other adult use
- Liquor licensee spacing
- 1,000 feet from any MGL c. 138, § 12 licensee
- Advertising
- Nothing visible to the public from a public way
- Fine
- Up to $200 per violation, levied by Building Commissioner
Summary
In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, adult bookstores, adult theaters, adult clubs and adult entertainment establishments are special permit uses in the business districts. The City Council can require 500 feet from residential districts, schools and parks, and 1,000 feet from other adult uses and MGL c. 138, § 12 licensees.
(9) Adult uses. The City Council, in granting a special permit, may provide that the adult uses listed below be located no less than 500 feet from any district designated by the Zoning Ordinance for any residential use, including those residential uses allowed by a special permit or grandfathered within business zones, or any public, private or parochial school, library, park, playground, recreational area, church or other area in which large numbers of minors regularly travel or congregate, or be located within 1,000 feet of any other adult use or within 1,000 feet of any establishment licensed under the provisions of MGL c. 138, § 12. No advertisement, display or other promotional material is to be visible to the public from a public way, including but not limited to pedestrian walkways. ... If an adult use allows for the showing of films, videos or other entertainment within the premises, any and all booths, cubicles, rooms, studios, compartments or stalls must be clearly visible from the center of the establishment and be closed off or obscured by curtains, drapes, doors, screens, partitions, dividers or any obstruction.
Full Breakdown
In the City of Chicopee, Massachusetts, adult businesses are regulated through the Zoning Ordinance as special permit uses, not by right. Section 275-58 lists adult uses among the special permit uses the City Council can grant in Business A Districts, and the same paragraph appears in § 275-59 (Business B), § 275-60 (Business C) and § 275-61 (Central Business District). Four adult uses are named: adult bookstore, adult theater, adult club and adult entertainment establishment.
The definitions in § 275-4 tie the categories to Massachusetts law. An adult bookstore has a substantial or significant portion of its stock-in-trade in books, magazines, video and other matter emphasizing sexual conduct or sexual excitement as defined in MGL c. 272, § 31, and excludes minors by virtue of age. An adult theater is an enclosed building presenting that kind of material. An adult club allows a person to perform or work in a state of nudity as defined in MGL c. 272, § 31, and excludes minors. An adult entertainment establishment is physically arranged with booths, cubicles, rooms, studios, compartments or stalls separate from the common areas for viewing adult-oriented material, or is a place where an entertainer provides adult entertainment, when held for profit.
When granting the permit, the City Council can require a location no less than 500 feet from any district designated for residential use, including residential uses allowed by special permit or grandfathered within business zones, or from any public, private or parochial school, library, park, playground, recreational area, church or other area in which large numbers of minors regularly travel or congregate. The Council can also require 1,000 feet from any other adult use and 1,000 feet from any establishment licensed under MGL c. 138, § 12. Under § 275-58F, distances are measured from boundary to boundary.
No advertisement, display or other promotional material can be visible to the public from a public way, including pedestrian walkways, and signage is limited to the ordinance restrictions. If the premises show films, videos or other entertainment, every booth, cubicle, room, studio, compartment or stall must be clearly visible from the center of the establishment and closed off or obscured by curtains, drapes, doors, screens, partitions, dividers or any obstruction.
Section 275-9 adds that special permits carry conditions, safeguards and limitations on time or use, and that no new special permit issues to an applicant in default on taxes, license fees or other money due to the City.
Violations & Fines
Under Chicopee Code § 275-19, any person or corporation violating a provision of the Zoning Ordinance can be fined up to but not more than $200 for each violation. The Building Commissioner levies the fine, and it can be appealed under § 275-8. Under § 275-5, the Building Department enforces the chapter and the Building Commissioner refuses a permit for any building or alteration that would violate it. Operating an adult use without the Council's special permit breaks the ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What adult uses does Chicopee regulate?
How far must an adult use be from homes and schools in Chicopee?
How far must an adult use be from other adult uses or bars in Chicopee?
Can an adult business in Chicopee advertise on the street?
What is the penalty for violating the adult use rules in Chicopee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chicopee
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