Kent, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Business license fee
- $500/yr studio, $150/yr other
- Manager/entertainer license
- $150 per year each
- License renewal
- Expires Dec. 31, renew by Jan. 1
- Permitted hours
- 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
- Suspension escalation
- 30 days, then 90, then revoked
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000/90 days
Summary
Kent requires a city clerk-issued license for every adult entertainment business, plus separate manager and entertainer licenses, annual fees up to $500, restricted hours of 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., and licensing tied to the location limits set in KCC 15.08.270.
No person or entity shall use any property or premises for an adult entertainment business within the city of Kent except within those areas authorized for location of said businesses as set forth in KCC 15.08.270, and no adult entertainment business shall be established, operated or maintained in the city unless the owner or operator thereof has obtained an adult entertainment business license from the clerk... The annual fee for an exotic dance studio business license shall be five hundred dollars ($500)... The annual license fee for all other adult entertainment businesses subject to this chapter shall be one hundred fifty dollars ($150)... The above-referenced licenses expire annually on December 31 and must be renewed by January 1.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4542, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
270, and requires the owner or operator to first obtain an adult entertainment business license from the city clerk; it is separately unlawful for an entertainer or employee to knowingly work in an unlicensed business. The annual fee is $500 for an exotic dance studio and $150 for all other adult entertainment businesses, and licenses expire every December 31 and must be renewed by January 1. Entertainers must hold their own entertainer's license and managers of exotic dance studios, adult arcades and adult motion picture theaters must hold a manager's license, each also $150 annually; applicants for any of these licenses must be at least 18.
060 require a $150 nonrefundable processing fee, names and addresses for the prior five years, criminal history for the prior 10 years, photographs, and full fingerprints on forms set by the chief of police. m. 190, with the decision stayed pending appeal.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 5.10 KCC, including operating or working without the required license, exceeding posted hours, or exotic dance studio conduct violations, is a misdemeanor under KCC 5.10.230, punishable by up to $1,000 in fines, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kent
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle adult entertainment.