Gardena, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Gardena Municipal Code Section 18.62.010 states that, notwithstanding any other provision of the code, adult-oriented businesses may locate only in the M-1 industrial and M-2 general industrial zones. Section 18.62.070 then layers on distance requirements before the city council will issue an adult-oriented business permit: the use must sit at least 1,000 feet from any other adult-oriented business, a massage establishment, a bar not connected to a bona fide restaurant, hotel or motel, a school, a park or playground, or a church, chapel or other publicly recognized place of worship, at least 500 feet from any residentially zoned property, and at least 250 feet from any residential use that is not in a residential zone.

No more than one adult-oriented use may operate out of a single business. Applicants under Section 18.62.040 must file fingerprints, disclose any disqualifying conduct from the prior two years, and notify property owners within a 300-foot radius by mail; the planning commission and city council both hold public hearings under Section 18.62.060, with the planning commission acting within 30 days and the council within 21 days after that. Operational standards in Section 18.62.090 bar operation between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., require a manager on duty at all times, require posted age restrictions (18 without alcohol, 21 with alcohol) and require the names of managers plus a 24-hour emergency contact be given to the police department.

Section 18.62.170 makes operating an unpermitted adult-oriented business, or violating any provision of the chapter, a misdemeanor, with each day of continued violation treated as a separate offense; the city attorney may also pursue civil abatement, removal and injunctive relief as a public nuisance in lieu of or in addition to criminal prosecution. Section 18.62.180 gives lawfully existing nonconforming adult businesses 180 days to comply with the development and design standards of Section 18.62.080, and up to 20 years to comply with the zoning and distance requirements of Section 18.62.070, after written notice of nonconforming status.