Eagan, MN Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

The city council adopted § 6.49 after reviewing studies from the Minnesota Attorney General's office and several major cities finding that adult establishments raise crime, especially sex offenses, lower property values, and create blight when concentrated. Based on those findings, subsection C restricts adult establishments, including adult bookstores, cabarets, theaters, arcades, and modeling or massage studios distinguished by an emphasis on specified sexual activities or anatomical areas, to the I-1, CSC, GB, and BP zoning districts and bars any license within 1,000 feet of another licensed adult establishment, a residential use, a day care provider, a liquor establishment, or a park or public facility.

Applicants must be at least 21, disclose ownership and criminal history, and pass a police and city clerk background investigation that can run up to 30 days, 45 with an out-of-state check, with out-of-state investigation costs charged to the applicant up to $10,000. Denial grounds under subsection H include being under 21, a felony or gross-misdemeanor sex or obscenity conviction within five years, a prior license revocation within the preceding year, and unpaid city, county, or state taxes or fees. Subsection N bars operation between 1:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., and subsection O requires checking government photo identification before admitting any patron.

The council may suspend a license for up to 60 days or revoke it after a public hearing for fraud, misrepresentation, or a code violation.