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Leon County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Heavy Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Core ban
Nude/semi-nude entertainment plus alcohol availability
Premises radius
Extends 300 feet to common-owned structures
License consequence
Occupational license revocable on conviction
Reapplication wait
6-month minimum before a new license
Civil remedy
Any person may sue to enjoin violation
Legal basis
Fla. Const. art. VIII, §1(f); F.S. §125.01

Summary

Leon County bans nude and semi-nude entertainment in any commercial establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold, dispensed or even available, under Sec. 11-24. A conviction can cost the business its occupational license for at least six months, on top of any court penalty under Sec. 11-23.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Leon County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in nude or semi-nude entertainment in any commercial establishment at which alcoholic beverages are, or are available to be, sold, dispensed, consumed, possessed or offered for sale or consumption on the premises. ... (h)It shall be unlawful for any person, while on the premises of a commercial establishment regulated under this article, to use or be present in areas partitioned or screened from public view that are designed to be occupied together or alone by any person or persons on the premises of such establishment for sexual contact or private dancing performances.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12).

Full Breakdown

Sec. 11-24 of the Leon County Code makes it unlawful to combine nude or semi-nude entertainment with any commercial establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold, dispensed, consumed, possessed, or merely available for sale or consumption, whether or not a sale actually occurs. Sec. 11-19 defines nude or semi-nude entertainment as the actual or simulated display of genitals, pubic area, buttocks, anus or anal cleft, or the display by a woman of the breast at or below the areola. The same section defines 'premises' broadly: it reaches not just the building itself but any structure or land within 300 feet of it that shares common ownership, control or possession, so a business cannot dodge the rule by staging entertainment in a separate building on the same lot.

Beyond outright nudity, Sec. 11-24 separately bans simulated sexual activity while dancing for a patron, sitting or straddling a patron's lap while touching or being touched, and using or maintaining any partitioned or screened area designed for private dancing or sexual contact; owners and operators are equally liable if they merely permit staff or patrons to do these things. Outside advertising that solicits or promotes the banned conduct is also prohibited. The Board of County Commissioners adopted the article, per Sec. 11-21 and 11-22, on findings that combining alcohol with nude entertainment increases criminal activity, moral degradation and disturbances of the peace, and depreciates the value of adjoining property, exercising the county's home-rule and alcoholic-beverage-regulation authority under Fla. art. 01(1)(o) and (w).

Violations & Fines

Sec. 11-23 lets any person sue in circuit court to enjoin a violation, and a criminal conviction is punishable as provided in Sec. 1-9. Beyond court penalties, the Board of County Commissioners may revoke the establishment's occupational license after due notice once an owner, operator, lessor, lessee, manager or employer is convicted, and Sec. 11-23(d) bars issuing a new license to that same establishment for at least six months, and then only after a public hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a bar have any nudity at all if alcohol is served?
No. Sec. 11-24(a) makes it unlawful to engage in nude or semi-nude entertainment in any commercial establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold, dispensed, consumed, possessed, or even just available for sale or consumption, regardless of whether alcohol is actually purchased during the performance.
What if the club puts private dance rooms in a separate building next door?
That does not avoid the rule. Sec. 11-19 defines 'premises' to include any structure or land within 300 feet of the establishment under common ownership, control or possession, so a screened-off building on the same or an adjoining lot is still covered.
What happens to a club's license if it's convicted of violating this article?
The Board of County Commissioners can revoke the occupational license after due notice under Sec. 11-23(c), and Sec. 11-23(d) requires at least six months to pass, plus a public hearing, before the same establishment can get a new license.
Is simulated sexual contact between a dancer and customer allowed if there's no actual nudity?
No. Sec. 11-24(e) and (f) separately ban dancing that simulates sexual activity with a patron and sitting or straddling a patron's lap while touching or being touched, regardless of whether the dancer is nude, and owners who permit it are equally liable under subsection (g).

Sources & Official References

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