Fremont, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed zoning districts
- CC-UO and CC-UN only
- Spacing from other adult business
- 600 feet minimum
- Spacing from homes/parks/schools/churches
- 300 feet minimum
- Permit issuer
- Fremont police chief
- Operating hours
- 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
- Age restriction
- No one under 18 admitted
Summary
Fremont confines adult-oriented businesses to the CC-UO and CC-UN zoning districts, bars them within 600 feet of another adult business and 300 feet of homes, parks, schools, or churches under Section 18.190.010, and requires a police-chief-issued regulatory permit under Chapter 5.10 before opening.
(a) No adult-oriented business shall be established or located in any zoning district in the city other than CC-UO and CC-UN. (b) A "sexual encounter establishment" as that phrase is defined in Section 18.25.070(b)(4) is not permitted in any zoning district within the city of Fremont. (c) No adult-oriented business shall be established or located within 600 feet of any other adult-oriented business. (d) No adult-oriented business shall be established or located within 300 feet of any existing residential district, park, school, or religious facility.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 02-2026, passed May 5, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Fremont regulates adult-oriented businesses through two linked chapters. 010 confine these uses to the CC-UO and CC-UN zoning districts and ban "sexual encounter establishments" from every district citywide. No adult-oriented business may sit within 600 feet of another adult-oriented business, or within 300 feet of an existing residential district, park, school, or religious facility, with distances measured from the building footprint to the property line without regard to intervening structures. 030 makes it unlawful to operate without the resulting adult-oriented business regulatory permit, and performers in live shows depicting specified sexual activities need a separate performer permit. the next day for businesses not separately regulated by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. 140. 120.
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult-oriented business without the required regulatory permit, or letting an unpermitted person perform in a covered live show, is unlawful under Section 5.10.030. The police chief can deny, suspend, or revoke a permit for violating Chapter 5.10's standards, including the 600-foot and 300-foot spacing rules and the development standards of Section 5.10.140; a denial or revocation can be appealed to a hearing officer under Section 5.10.120 and then reviewed judicially under Section 5.10.130.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where in Fremont can an adult-oriented business legally locate?
What permit does an adult business need to open in Fremont?
Are sexual encounter establishments allowed anywhere in Fremont?
What operating standards must a permitted Fremont adult business follow?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fremont
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle adult entertainment.