Dublin, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Conditional Use Permit, Chapter 8.100
- Allowed zones
- C-1 and C-2 only
- Residential buffer
- 500 feet minimum
- School/park/library buffer
- 500 feet minimum
- Other adult business buffer
- 1,000 feet minimum
- Variance available
- Planning Commission, Section 8.44.040
Summary
Dublin requires a discretionary Conditional Use Permit before any Adult Business Establishment can open, and confines the use to the C-1 and C-2 commercial zoning districts. Dublin Municipal Code Section 8.44.050 also keeps adult businesses at least 500 feet from residential zones, schools, parks, libraries and places of worship, and 1,000 feet from any other adult business.
It shall be unlawful to establish an Adult Business Establishment as defined in this Title without first obtaining a Conditional Use Permit pursuant to Chapter 8.100, Conditional Use Permit. ... E. Conditionally permitted only in the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts. A Conditional Use Permit for an Adult Business Establishment may only be approved within the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts. 8.44.050 Location Requirements. All Adult Business Establishments shall be located as follows: A. Distance from other uses. It shall be unlawful to cause or permit the establishment of any such Adult Business Establishment if the location is: 1. Within 500 feet of the boundary of any area zoned for residential use. 2. Within 1,000 feet of any other Adult Business Establishments. 3. Within 500 feet of any parcel that is the site of any public library or any public, private, or parochial school or preschool, public park, playground, public building or other public facility, place of worship, or any non-commercial establishment operated by a bona fide religious organization, or any establishment primarily intended to be used by minors.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2-26, passed March 3, 2026).
Full Breakdown
08 can open in Dublin. 060 the only findings the Conditional Use Permit can be based on, superseding the general CUP findings that apply to other land uses. A sets three spacing buffers measured in a straight line from the closest exterior structural wall: 500 feet from the boundary of any residentially zoned area, 1,000 feet from any other Adult Business Establishment, and 500 feet from a public library, school or preschool, park, playground, public facility, place of worship, or any establishment likely to be used by minors.
040, but the Commission must find, after a public hearing, that the use will not enlarge a blighted concentration of adult businesses and remains consistent with the General Plan; if the site sits within 300 feet of a residential area, park, place of worship or school, the city must notice every property owner within 1,000 feet of the request. 124.
Violations & Fines
Operating an Adult Business Establishment without the required Conditional Use Permit, outside the C-1/C-2 districts, or inside the 500-foot or 1,000-foot spacing buffers is unlawful under Sections 8.44.030 and 8.44.050 and subject to code enforcement action, CUP revocation, and citation. Violating the operating standards in Section 8.44.060, such as allowing interior visibility from outside or permitting more than one patron in a viewing booth, is separately unlawful and enforceable.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dublin
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