Pinellas County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 400 feet
- Protected uses
- Residential zones, churches, schools, parks
- Permits required
- Adult use license + development permit
- Enforcing agency
- Sheriff's office
Summary
Unincorporated Pinellas requires a license and permit for every adult use establishment and bars locating one within 400 feet of residential zoning, churches, schools, child care facilities, parks or another adult use.
(a)No adult use establishment, including an adult bookstore operating only as an adult bookstore, may be located within 400 feet of any residential zoned property, or any portion of a mixed use zoning district developed and utilized as residential, nor within 400 feet of any church, school, child care facility or public recreation area which is validly located or has previously received legal authority to so locate.(b)No adult use business establishment may be located within 400 feet of any other adult use.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 124).
Full Breakdown
Pinellas County Code § 42-121 keeps adult use establishments, bookstores, theaters, cabarets and studios, at least 400 feet from residential-zoned property, mixed-use residential areas, churches, schools, child care facilities and public recreation areas, and 400 feet from any other adult use, measured in a straight line between the nearest property lines. Under §§ 42-76 and 42-122, no adult use establishment may open or continue operating in unincorporated Pinellas County without an adult use license from the Department of Justice and Consumer Services and an adult use permit from the Department of Development Review Services.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required license or permit, or inside the 400-foot buffer, is enforced by the sheriff's office and can bring citations, license denial or revocation, and civil injunctive action under § 42-60.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult business stay from a school in Pinellas County?
Do adult businesses need a special license in unincorporated Pinellas County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pinellas County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Pinellas County to another location·View the Florida business licensing & operations overview
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