Conway, AR Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing authority
- Chief of Police
- Business license fee
- $250 per year
- Employee license fee
- $25 per year
- Allowed zoning
- C-3 and I-3 districts only
- Buffer from sensitive uses
- 1,000 ft. (500 ft. residential)
- Repeat-fine escalation
- 3 fines/yr triggers suspension
Summary
In the City of Conway, Arkansas, a sexually oriented business cannot open without a license from the Chief of Police, and the license only works in two zoning districts, subject to strict distance buffers from churches, schools, parks, day cares and homes.
A.It shall be unlawful:1.For any person to operate a sexually oriented business without a valid sexually oriented business license issued by the Chief pursuant to this ordinance; ... Sexually oriented businesses not already lawfully operating on the effective date of this ordinance shall be permitted only in zoning district C-3 Highway Service and Open Display District and I-3 Intensive Industrial District, subject to the following: A.The sexually oriented business may not be operated within:1.One thousand (1,000) ft. of a church;2.One thousand (1,000) ft. of a public or private elementary, secondary, or post-secondary school;3.One thousand (1,000) ft. of a public park;4.One thousand (1,000) ft. of a licensed day-care center;5.One thousand (1,000) ft. of an entertainment business that is oriented primarily toward children;6.Five hundred (500) ft. of a boundary of any residential district; or7.One thousand (1,000) ft. of another sexually oriented business.
Full Breakdown
Conway Municipal Code § 7.80.04, enacted by Ord. No. O-04-15, makes it unlawful to operate a sexually oriented business, defined to include adult arcades, bookstores, cabarets, motels, theaters, sex shops, escort agencies and similar uses under § 7.80.03, without a valid license issued by the Chief. Employees working on the premises need their own employee license as well. Applications go to the Chief's office, cost $250 a year for the business license and $25 for an employee license under § 7.80.06, and require a scaled floor plan plus, for new locations, a surveyor's certificate showing distances to nearby protected uses.
Section 7.80.14 confines new sexually oriented businesses to the C-3 Highway Service and Open Display District and the I-3 Intensive Industrial District, and bars operation within 1,000 feet of a church, school, public park, licensed day care, or children's entertainment business, within 500 feet of any residential district boundary, and within 1,000 feet of another sexually oriented business. Measurements run in a straight line between nearest property lines, ignoring intervening structures. The Chief can deny, suspend, or revoke a license for false statements, disqualifying criminal history, or repeated violations, and denials, fines, suspensions and revocations are appealable to the City Council within 15 days and then to court under § 7.80.12.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license, employing an unlicensed worker, or violating the location restrictions exposes the operator to the general penalties in § 1.32.01 of the Conway Municipal Code. Separately, § 7.80.09 lets the Chief fine a licensee $250 per offense for drug activity, alcohol violations, nudity violations, or admitting minors, and three fines within twelve months triggers a suspension of up to 30 days under § 7.80.10, escalating to a one-year revocation under § 7.80.11.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a sexually oriented business locate anywhere in Conway?
Who issues the sexually oriented business license?
What happens if a business operates without the license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Conway
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