Jessamine County, KY Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Section 112.04 classifies sexually oriented businesses as adult amusement arcades; adult book stores, adult novelty stores or adult video stores; adult cabarets; adult motels; adult motion picture theaters; adult stage theaters; escort agencies; and sexual encounter centers. Every class must meet the operating rules in § 112.05. No owner or operator can knowingly permit a person under 18 years of age to be employed by or enter the establishment. An employee must be on duty whenever the business is open, positioned at a station from which the entrance can be monitored at all times. Anyone who reasonably appears to be under 18 is asked to verify age, and every person under 18 found inside is immediately escorted out. No establishment other than an adult motel can remain open between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Section 112.06 adds layout rules for businesses other than adult motels that show explicit media or live entertainment in a viewing room of less than 150 square feet of floor space. Partitions must be built of not less than 1-hour fire-restriction material with no holes. A manager or cashier station needs a direct line of sight to every area open to patrons other than restrooms. No viewing room or booth can have doors, curtains or other obstructions, and no booth can hold more than 1 person at a time. Overhead lighting must reach not less than 10 foot-candles at floor level. Booth floors must be non-porous with no rugs or carpeting, and restrooms cannot hold video equipment.

Live performances under § 112.08 must take place on a stage or platform at least 18 inches above the floor and at least 6 feet from any area open to patrons. Nudity is prohibited in live performances, semi-nude performers must stay on the stage, entertainers cannot have physical contact with patrons, and no entertainer or employee can be visible from a public place outside the premises. Section 112.07 lets county representatives, including the Sheriff's Department and Fire Department, inspect at any time the premises are occupied or open. Section 112.09 requires employee records to be kept for 2 years beyond the last date of employment. Under § 112.10 each business pays $200 to the County Occupational License Fee office before opening and $200 per annum afterward, on top of the regular county occupational license fee.