Sarasota County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Chapter 26, Article II of the Sarasota County Code regulates seven categories of 'sexually oriented business' under § 26-33: adult bookstores or video stores, adult cabarets, adult motels, adult motion picture theaters, semi-nude model studios, sexual device shops, and sexual encounter centers. Section 26-34 makes it 'unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in Sarasota County without a valid sexually oriented business license,' and requires a notarized application filed in person with the County Administrator's Office disclosing the applicant's identity, business location, registered agent, and any prior convictions for 'specified criminal activity,' plus whether any business the applicant had an interest in was ever declared a nuisance or padlocked by a court.

Section 26-35 gives the County Administrator 24 hours to issue a temporary license once a complete application is filed, and 20 days to grant or deny the full license; grounds for denial include being under 18, an unpaid fee, noncompliance with the interior configuration or locational requirements of the Land Development Code, a disqualifying nuisance history, or a disqualifying criminal conviction. 00. , and § 26-45 requires no-loitering signage, parking-lot monitoring every 90 minutes, exterior lighting, and forbids fences or walls that block the parking lot from public view. Licenses run one calendar year and must be renewed 90 to 120 days before expiration under § 26-38.