Dearborn Heights, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Sec. 36-231 governs adult regulated uses as defined in Sec. 36-37 and applies the city's tightest siting rules to them. Subsection (a)(1) sets the 1,000-foot spacing requirement, measured from the edge of the building housing the proposed use to a residential zoning district, a church or other place of worship, a school, a licensed day care facility, or any existing adult regulated use, whether that sensitive or competing use sits inside Dearborn Heights or in a surrounding jurisdiction. Subsection (a)(2) layers on design and operating conditions: the site must be compatible with surrounding structures, no sexually oriented material or specified anatomical areas can be visible from a public right-of-way, doors and windows must be positioned or screened so no one outside can view the interior, no sound equipment may project outside the building, a notice excluding minors must be posted at the entrance, and the use must occupy a freestanding building rather than a shared wall or shopping-center space; adult cabarets additionally need a stage raised at least three feet above the floor with a two-foot barrier.

Subsection (a)(3) bars anyone from residing on the premises, requires a posted price notice, excludes anyone under eighteen from entering, and requires a current zoning and building occupancy permit issued only after a city inspection confirms compliance with all relevant ordinances. Subsection (a)(4) blocks a denied application from being resubmitted for one year absent new evidence or changed conditions. Subsection (b) carves out hospitals, licensed medical or physical therapy providers, certified massage therapists under Sec. 36-172, licensed electrolysis operators, gyms, and instructional studios from the definition entirely.