Joliet, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Before operating, Sec. 18-412
- Original license fee
- $100.00
- Renewal fee
- $50.00
- Closing hours
- 2 a.m.-8 a.m. (noon Sundays)
- Minimum age on premises
- 18 years
- Revocation lockout
- 5 years for owner/operator
Summary
Joliet requires every sexually oriented business to hold a city license before opening, caps each license to one fixed location, and requires renewal by December 31 each year. Sec. 18-412 bars operation without a license, and operators also face set closing hours, a strict no-minors rule, and a ban on alcohol on the premises.
No person shall own, operate or conduct any business in a sexually oriented business located within the city unless there is a license for the business. ... No sexually oriented business shall be open between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on Monday through Saturdays or between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Sundays. ... No person under the age of eighteen (18) years shall be allowed on or enter the premises of a sexually oriented business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 200).
Full Breakdown
Article XVII of Chapter 18 defines a sexually oriented business by reference to Section 47-15C of the Joliet Zoning Ordinance and by conduct, such as running the register, taking orders, or supervising staff, rather than by a fixed list of business types (Sec. 18-411). No one may own, operate, or work in an unlicensed sexually oriented business, and a license covers only a single fixed location; anyone running more than one must license each separately (Sec. 18-412). 00 to renew, and every license expires on the last day of December regardless of issue date, so it must be renewed before the following year (Secs.
18-412, 18-413). The city manager or a designee has twenty days to grant or deny an application, and a denial can be appealed by filing a written hearing request within five days (Sec. 18-414). m. until noon (Sec. 18-417). No one under eighteen may enter the premises, and a posted sign must warn of that rule at every public entrance (Sec. 18-418). The Code bars serving or consuming alcohol on-site and bars locating on premises that hold a liquor license (Sec. 18-420), and it separately bars specific sexual conduct on the premises (Sec.
18-421). A revoked license locks the owner or operator out of a new license for five years, and the specific location cannot be re-licensed as a sexually oriented business for two years (Sec. 18-422).
Violations & Fines
Operating, working in, or knowingly performing services for an unlicensed sexually oriented business is unlawful under Sec. 18-412(c). The city manager can revoke or suspend a license for admitting a minor, violating hours or alcohol rules, allowing criminal activity without notifying police, or giving false information on an application (Sec. 18-416); a licensee gets written notice and a hearing at least fifteen days before any revocation takes effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Joliet require a separate license for a sexually oriented business?
What hours can a Joliet sexually oriented business stay open?
Can minors be present in a Joliet sexually oriented business?
What happens if a sexually oriented business license gets revoked in Joliet?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Joliet
Compare Joliet to another location·View the Illinois business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.