Dublin, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Chapter 8.44, Adult Business Establishment Regulations, requires a Conditional Use Permit under Chapter 8.100 before any bookstore, theater or other use that qualifies as an Adult Business Establishment under the definitions in Chapter 8.08 can open in Dublin. Section 8.44.030.E confines that CUP to the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts; no other zoning district in the city can host the use, and Section 8.44.030.C makes the location standards in Sections 8.44.050 and 8.44.060 the only findings the Conditional Use Permit can be based on, superseding the general CUP findings that apply to other land uses.

Section 8.44.050.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. A property owner who cannot meet the spacing standard can apply to the Planning Commission for a variance under Section 8.44.040, 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.

Section 8.44.060 layers on operating rules once a CUP issues, including a ban on interior visibility from the exterior, a requirement that live entertainment stay at least 6 feet from patrons behind a physical barrier, mandatory unannounced law enforcement inspections during business hours, and payment of all applicable fees under Chapter 8.124.