Yellowstone County, MT Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted zones
- CX, I1, I2 districts only (§ 27-1005.B.7)
- Residential/school/park buffer
- 1,000 feet (§ 27-1005.B.5)
- Buffer from another SOB
- 600 feet (§ 27-1005.B.5(b))
- Hours closed
- 12:01 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (§ 27-1005.B.8(d))
- Minors
- Not allowed on premises (§ 27-1005.B.8(f))
- Nonconforming lapse
- Lost after 30 days' discontinuance (§ 27-1005.B.4)
Summary
Yellowstone County treats sexually oriented businesses, adult arcades, adult book or video stores, adult motels, and adult motion picture theaters, as a regulated commercial use under the Zoning Code. Such a business may locate only in the CX heavy commercial, I1 controlled industrial, or I2 heavy industrial districts, and must stay 1,000 feet from any residential or mixed-use zone, school, park, library, day care, or religious institution, and 600 feet from another such business.
(a) A sexually oriented business shall not be operated within 1,000 feet of any of the following: (1) A neighborhood, residential, or mixed-use zone. (2) Any planned development zone that allows residential uses unless such zone is separated from the location of a sexually oriented business by an interstate highway. (3) Land uses: (i) Public library; (ii) Public playground or park (for purposes of this section, publicly owned multiuse trails shall be deemed to be a park); (iii) Public or private school and its grounds, from pre-school through twelfth grade; (iv) A state licensed community residential facility, family day care home, group day care home, day care center, religious assembly, or (v) A religious institution. (b) A sexually oriented business shall not be located within 600 feet of another sexually oriented business.
Full Breakdown
7). 5-6), with distances measured in a straight line from property line to property line. , prohibit on-premises nudity and specified sexual activity outside an adult motel, ban alcohol on the premises other than at an adult motel, and exclude minors entirely. Employees may not solicit business outside the building, and live entertainment must be performed on a platform that keeps performers at least nine feet from patrons. 9). 10). 4).
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented business outside the CX, I1, or I2 districts, within the required buffers, or in violation of the operating standards is a Zoning Code violation. Under § 27-1005.B.10, it is unlawful for an operator to let merchandise or activity be visible from outside the building or to add flashing signage or non-monochromatic exterior paint. These violations, like other Zoning Code violations, are misdemeanors under § 27-1704.G, carrying a fine up to the state statutory limit or up to six months in jail, or both, with each day counted as a separate offense; the zoning coordinator may also issue a stop-use order under § 27-1704.E.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a sexually oriented business legally operate in Yellowstone County?
What hours can an adult business stay open?
Does an existing adult business lose its rights if it's in the wrong zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yellowstone County
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