Dearborn, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 7.05
- Concentration limit
- 1,200 feet between regulated uses
- Residential/school buffer
- 700 feet
- School buffer waiver
- Never allowed
- Minors on premises
- Prohibited, criminal penalty
Summary
Dearborn's Zoning Ordinance lists adult entertainment establishments as a regulated use, blocking a second one within 1,200 feet of another and barring any of them within 700 feet of a residential zone or school.
The establishment of the following kinds of uses is prohibited if the establishment of any one of the following uses constitutes the second such use within a one thousand two-hundred (1,200) foot radius: ...7. Adult entertainment establishment... It shall be unlawful to hereafter establish any regulated use if the proposed regulated use will be within a seven hundred (700) foot radius of a residentially zoned district, or within a seven hundred (700) foot radius of any nursery, primary, or secondary school.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-07: Code: Updated through: July 22, 2026 | Zoning: Updated through: July 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 7.05 of the Dearborn Zoning Ordinance (Wayne County, Michigan) names 'adult entertainment establishment' among thirteen regulated uses, alongside adult bookstores, model studios, and cabarets, and prohibits establishing a second such use within a 1,200-foot radius of another. Subsection E separately bars locating any regulated use within 700 feet of a residentially zoned district or of a nursery, primary, or secondary school; the residential buffer can be waived only if 51 percent of nearby occupants sign a petition, while the school buffer cannot be waived under any circumstance. Applications go to the zoning administrator, who checks existing spacing before approving.
Violations & Fines
Operating a regulated use that violates the spacing or buffer requirements is an unlawful land use subject to zoning enforcement; admitting anyone under 18 to an adult entertainment business can also trigger criminal prosecution under the Penal Code chapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close can two adult businesses be in Dearborn?
Can an adult business locate near a school?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle adult entertainment.