Coconino County, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition section
- § 6.2 / Table 2-9
- Allowed zone
- IH-6,000 Heavy Industrial only
- Permit type
- Conditional Use Permit
- Parking ratio
- 1 space / 250 sq ft
- Other zones
- Prohibited outright
Summary
Coconino County zoning drives an adult bookstore, adult theater, cabaret, or sexual encounter center into a single zone. Table 2-9 marks "Adult Use, Adult Entertainment Business" prohibited in the CN, CG, CH, IP, and IL commercial and industrial zones, allowing it only in the IH-6,000 Heavy Industrial zone, and only with a discretionary Conditional Use Permit.
ADULT USE, ADULT ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS shall mean any adult bookstore, adult motion picture arcade, adult motion picture theater, cabaret, sexual encounter center, or any other business or establishment that offers its patrons services or entertainment characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing, or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical area, but not including those uses or activities, the regulation of which is preempted by State law.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
5/A, CG-10,000, CH-10,000, IP-20,000, and IL-10,000 zones, and allows it only with a Conditional Use Permit in the IH-6,000 Heavy Industrial zone, the county's most intensive industrial classification. 9 requires Planning and Zoning Commission review rather than administrative sign-off, so an operator cannot simply pull a permit over the counter. 1's Table 4-1 parking standard requires one off-street parking space for every 250 square feet of building area, the same ratio the ordinance applies to airports, landing fields, and vehicle-service uses. The definition's closing clause, excluding activities "the regulation of which is preempted by State law," acknowledges that Arizona's own statutes occupy part of this field, so the county's zoning reach stops at land-use siting rather than content regulation.
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult bookstore, theater, or cabaret in the CN, CG, CH, IP, or IL zones, or in the IH-6,000 zone without an approved Conditional Use Permit, violates Table 2-9 and is a zoning violation. Under Section 1.6.A.1, any violation of the ordinance's standards is a Nuisance Per Se, letting the Community Development Department pursue abatement, and Section 1.6.A.3 lets the county revoke or halt work under any permit issued in conflict with these provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can an adult bookstore legally operate in unincorporated Coconino County?
What businesses count as adult entertainment under the ordinance?
Can I get an administrative permit instead of going before the Planning and Zoning Commission?
How much parking does an adult entertainment business need?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coconino County
Compare Coconino County to another location·View the Arizona business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.