Palm Beach County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Adult Entertainment license, § 17-161
- From another adult use
- 2,000 feet minimum separation
- From church or school
- 1,000 feet minimum separation
- From park or residential district
- 500 feet minimum separation
- Variances
- None allowed, ever
Summary
Unincorporated Palm Beach County requires an Adult Entertainment license before any club, video store, or theater can open, and the Unified Land Development Code sets strict distance separations: 2,000 feet from another adult business, 1,000 feet from churches and schools, 500 feet from parks and residential districts, with no variances allowed.
There shall be no Variance to the location standards contained herein. An Adult Entertainment use shall be located outside of the minimum distances indicated below including properties within a municipality or within the unincorporated area of PBC: a) Other Adult Entertainment 2,000 feet. b) A Place of Worship 1,000 feet. c) An Educational Institution 1,000 feet. d) A Public Park 500 feet. e) A Residential Zoning District Which is Designated as Residential by any Local Comprehensive Plan, 500 feet. f) A Cocktail Lounge 750 feet.
Full Breakdown
Any adult entertainment establishment operating in unincorporated Palm Beach County must hold an Adult Entertainment license from the Occupational Licensing Department (Code § 17-161), and the Zoning Division will not sign off on that license until the site meets the Unified Land Development Code's separation standards. Under ULDC Art. 4.B.2.C.1.j, no variance is allowed: an adult entertainment use must sit at least 2,000 feet from another adult entertainment use, 1,000 feet from a place of worship or educational institution, 500 feet from a public park or a residential zoning district, and 750 feet from a cocktail lounge, measured in a straight line between the nearest exterior walls or property lines. The use is also flatly prohibited within the WCRA Overlay.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a valid county Adult Entertainment license, or inside a prohibited separation zone, is punishable under F.S. § 125.69, with each day of continued violation a separate offense; the County Attorney or Sheriff may also seek injunctive relief in circuit court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Palm Beach County grant a variance from the adult entertainment spacing rules?
Does this county ordinance apply inside cities like West Palm Beach or Boca Raton?
How is the required distance from a public park measured?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Beach County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Palm Beach County to another location·View the Florida business licensing & operations overview
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