Coweta County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required for
- Business and each employee (§ 18-242)
- Initial license fee
- $100 business / $50 employee
- Annual renewal fee
- $75 business / $25 employee
- Spacing requirement
- 1,000 ft from schools, alcohol sellers, homes
- Maximum criminal penalty
- $1,000 fine, 6 months jail, per day
- Nonconforming grace period
- 2 years, extendable in 6-month blocks
Summary
Coweta County requires a separate license for any sexually oriented business and for each of its employees, on top of the standard business registration. Sec. 18-259 keeps these businesses at least 1,000 feet from another sexually oriented business, an alcohol retailer, or any school, church, park, day care, or residentially zoned property.
(a)Business license. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in the county without a valid sexually oriented business license. ... (a)It shall be unlawful to establish, operate, or cause to be operated a sexually oriented business in Coweta County, unless said sexually oriented business is at least:(1)One thousand feet from any parcel occupied by another sexually oriented business or by any establishment licensed by the State of Georgia to sell alcohol at the premises; and(2)One thousand feet from any parcel occupied by a school, religious institution, public park, recreation facility, licensed day-care center, or property used or zoned for residential purposes.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 40).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 18-242 makes it unlawful to operate a sexually oriented business, or to work as one of its defined 'employees,' without a valid license issued by the business tax director; the application must be filed in person, signed under oath, and notarized, and must include the applicant's legal name and aliases used in the past five years, current address, and government-issued proof of age. Sec. 00 annual renewal. Licenses run for one calendar year and must be renewed at least 90 days before expiration to avoid a lapse (Sec.
18-246). Sec. 18-259(a) sets the county's spacing rule: a sexually oriented business must sit at least 1,000 feet from any parcel occupied by another sexually oriented business or by an establishment licensed to sell alcohol, and at least 1,000 feet from any school, religious institution, public park, recreation facility, licensed day-care center, or residentially zoned or used property, measured in a straight line between property boundaries without regard to intervening structures. A nonconforming business that predates the ordinance may keep operating for two years to recoup its investment, with the possibility of six-month hardship extensions on written application to the business tax director at least 60 days before each deadline (Sec.
18-259(c)-(d)). The business tax director can suspend a license up to 30 days for a knowing violation (Sec. 18-247) and can move to revoke it for a second violation within 12 months, false statements on the application, or allowing drug use, prostitution, or a minor to consume alcohol or appear nude on the premises (Sec. 18-248), with revocation lasting one year (Sec. 18-248(d)).
Violations & Fines
Operating without a valid license is punishable, upon conviction, by a fine of up to $1,000.00 per violation, up to six months' imprisonment, or both, with each day of continued operation counted as a separate offense (Sec. 18-254(a)). The county also treats unlicensed operation as a nuisance subject to a civil injunction action brought by county legal counsel in addition to criminal prosecution (Sec. 18-254(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a sexually oriented business be from a school in Coweta County?
How much does a sexually oriented business license cost in Coweta County?
What happens to an existing adult business that no longer meets the spacing rule?
What's the penalty for operating a sexually oriented business without a license in Coweta County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coweta County
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