Franklin County, KY Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Chapter 112 of the Franklin County Code, adopted by the Fiscal Court as Ord. 10 (2006), applies in unincorporated Franklin County, Kentucky only. Frankfort has its own code. Section 112.15 requires the license, and § 112.16 makes it unlawful to run an establishment without a current one.

The application goes to the County Planning Commission. Under § 112.21, every initial or renewal application pays a non-refundable $200 administrative processing fee by certified check and must be backed by a $5,000 surety bond or similar security in favor of the county. Seven identical copies of the application are filed. Within three working days of a complete application, the Planning Commission sends it to the reviewing departments, which have 25 days to inspect and report. The County Sheriff runs a separate review. The Planning Commission must issue or deny within 30 days of a properly completed application, and its decision is final and subject to judicial review if an appeal is filed within 30 days.

Once licensed, the establishment must frame the license under glass and hang it in plain view (§ 112.18). Licenses expire on June 30, and a renewal application is due at least 30 days before expiration (§ 112.20). Operating rules include the closing hours in § 112.41, the ban in § 112.48 on any loudspeakers or sound equipment audible beyond the licensed premises, and § 112.47, which limits signs to flat wall signs of one square foot per foot of lot frontage, never more than 32 square feet, one sign per lot frontage, and no temporary signage. Section 112.51 declares any establishment run in violation of the chapter a public nuisance that the county can sue to enjoin or abate.