Clark County, IN Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Chapter 113 of the Clark County Code of Ordinances regulates live adult entertainment businesses in the county through licensing rather than zoning distance buffers. 02(A) requires any owner of a building used for live adult entertainment to apply in writing to the County Plan Commission, disclosing ownership structure, corporate tax status, property tax and lien status, any affiliation with other adult entertainment businesses, and written statements from at least three county residents attesting to good moral character. 02(B) must be accompanied by a $5,000 certified check held in escrow; if the Adult Entertainment Commission (AEC) approves the license, the full $5,000 moves to the county's General Fund, and if it denies the license, $1,000 is refunded while the county keeps $4,000 for administrative costs.

02(C), including a full criminal history, ten years of prior addresses and employers, a mental-health history disclosure, fingerprinting at the Sheriff's Department, and the same $5,000 fee structure with a different refund split on denial. 04 bars licensure to anyone convicted of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, anyone who gave false information to the AEC, or anyone with unpaid state taxes or county debts, following a public hearing the AEC must hold within 60 days of a completed application. 05 lets a denied applicant appeal to the County Commissioners, who must rule within 30 days of the appeal hearing and may only reverse the AEC if its decision was arbitrary, capricious or contrary to law. 06 creates a sworn Enforcement Officer within the Sheriff's Department, funded from licensing fees, to police compliance.