Tulare County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Under § 6-03-1020, it is unlawful to operate an adult-oriented business, defined in § 6-03-1010 to include adult-oriented bookstores, movie theaters, cabarets, hotels/motels and novelty shops, without a license from the license collector; the owner applying must be at least 21. Section 6-03-1030(c) sets the approval standards: the license collector may only issue the license if the business sits in a zone that permits adult-oriented businesses, or holds legal nonconforming status, will not be run from a portable structure, will not host special events that overload approved parking, and the owner has made no false statements and is at least 21.

Section 6-03-1040 layers on operating standards: interior activity may not be observable from any public way, exterior grounds and parking must stay lit from dusk to closing, interior sound insulation must keep noise from reaching adjoining property, no one under 21 or visibly intoxicated may be admitted, and the business may not open between midnight and 10:00 a.m. except for businesses separately regulated by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Live-entertainment venues face added rules under § 6-03-1041: at least two security guards outside and one inside (more above 35 occupants), and performers must stay on a stage at least 18 inches high and 10 feet from patrons.

Existing businesses made nonconforming when the chapter took effect had 90 days to close or comply, per § 6-03-1130, with one possible Board-approved extension. Violations are a misdemeanor under § 6-03-1150, and unlicensed or noncompliant operation is a declared public nuisance under § 6-03-1140.