Sacramento County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Zone required
- M-1 or M-2 industrial zone only
- Spacing rule
- 1,000 ft from other adult businesses
- Sensitive-use buffer
- 1,000 ft from schools, parks, churches
- Also needs
- County business license, SCC Ch. 4.06
Summary
Sexually oriented businesses in unincorporated Sacramento County must locate in an M-1 or M-2 industrial zone and stay at least 1,000 feet from any other sexually oriented business, residential use, school, park, church, or day care.
Sexually oriented businesses, as defined, shall be permitted, subject to compliance with all of the locational conditions... Is in either an M-1 or M-2 zone. Is more than 1,000 feet from any other sexually oriented business. Is more than 1,000 feet from any existing residential use or property zoned agricultural, agricultural-residential, or residential, or that is regulated by Title V or Title VI of the SCC.
Full Breakdown
Sacramento County Zoning Code § 3.7.4.C permits sexually oriented businesses, adult bookstores, adult motion picture theaters, and adult live theaters, only in M-1 or M-2 zones, subject to strict locational conditions. A site must be more than 1,000 feet from any other sexually oriented business, from any residential use or agriculturally/residentially zoned property, and from sensitive uses including schools, libraries, parks, places of worship, community centers, and child day care centers, measured as a radius from the business's primary entrance to the nearest affected property line. The operator also needs a County business license under SCC Chapter 4.06.
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented business outside an M-1/M-2 zone or inside the 1,000-foot buffers violates SCC Zoning Code § 3.7.4.C and can void the required approval or business license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a sexually oriented business legally operate in unincorporated Sacramento County?
Does an adult bookstore or theater need more than a zoning approval?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento County
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