Clayton County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 22 defines a sexually oriented business to include adult bookstores, adult video stores, adult motion picture theaters and arcades, adult modeling studios, escort bureaus and erotic entertainment/dance establishments, and Sec. 22-404 makes it unlawful to operate one without a currently valid Clayton County license, which must be displayed conspicuously on the premises. Sec. 22-403 sets the spacing: no closer than 1,000 feet to another sexually oriented business, measured structure to structure, no closer than 1,000 feet to any residentially zoned use or district, measured property line to property line, and no closer than 1,000 feet to a governmental facility, church, residence, park, library, school ground, college campus, or any business holding an alcohol license.

Sec. 22-402 bars anyone under 18 from entering or working on the premises and prohibits nudity involving direct payment, use of artificial devices to simulate prohibited acts, and any dancing closer than four feet from a patron. Sec. 22-405 requires every employee, including independent contractors, to hold a separate work permit from the police department, valid for 12 months, after a background check confirming no conviction within five years for prostitution-related offenses, narcotics dealing or other moral-turpitude crimes. License applicants must publish notice for two consecutive weeks and post an 18-by-24-inch sign at the site before a license issues, and the county has up to 30 days to complete its investigation after the community development department receives all department input.