Franklin, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Spacing distance
- 500 feet
- Protected uses
- homes, schools, day cares, funeral homes
- Also protected
- liquor stores, civic/CI-zoned property
- Existing businesses
- grandfathered, not made nonconforming
Summary
Franklin's zoning ordinance keeps adult-oriented establishments at least 500 feet from homes, schools, day cares, funeral homes, liquor stores, civic uses, and each other under the city's 2026 form-based code.
Adult-oriented establishments shall not be permitted on any lot within 500 feet of any lot containing the following: a. Any use in the civic and institutional use classification or property zoned CI; b. Any dwelling or residential lot; c. Any use in the recreation use classification; d. A day care center; e. A funeral home; f. A packaged liquor store; or g. Another adult-oriented establishment. 2. An adult-oriented establishment lawfully operating as a conforming use shall not be rendered a nonconforming use by the location, subsequent to the commencement of operations of said establishment, of a use listed in Clause 5.1.4.B.1.
3. No adult-oriented establishment may be enlarged so as to violate the provisions of this Ordinance.
Full Breakdown
Franklin Zoning Ordinance § 5.1.4.B bars adult-oriented establishments from locating within 500 feet of any lot holding a civic/institutional use or CI zoning, any dwelling or residential lot, a recreation use, a day care center, a funeral home, a packaged liquor store, or another adult business. The rule took effect with the city's form-based zoning rewrite on January 13, 2026. A conforming adult business isn't forced into nonconforming status if a protected use later moves in nearby: the spacing constrains new establishments, not existing ones.
Violations & Fines
Opening without the required 500-foot spacing violates Zoning Ordinance § 22.5; it's a misdemeanor, fined under Title 12's general penalty clause, with each day treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a new adult business locate near a Franklin school or day care?
Does a house built later shut down an existing adult business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin
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