La Mesa, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Chapter 7.10, Adult Businesses, applies to adult arcades, retail stores, cabarets, motion picture theaters, modeling studios and hotels/motels as defined in Section 7.10.020. Section 7.10.030(a) makes it unlawful to establish, operate, engage in, conduct or carry on any adult business in the city without first obtaining, and continuing to maintain, an adult business regulatory permit; any expansion of an existing adult business by more than ten percent, conversion of another business into one, or relocation counts as a new establishment requiring a fresh application. The city manager or a designee grants or denies the permit under Section 7.10.030(b) after an application listing the owner's legal name, age verification, corporate or partnership documents, a sex-offense conviction history statement, a floor-plan sketch and off-street parking diagram, and a nonrefundable fee, with the application evaluated for completeness within five working days under Section 7.10.030(f).

Once permitted, Section 7.10.050 imposes detailed operating standards: adult businesses other than adult hotels/motels must stay closed between 12:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., exterior areas need at least 1.5 foot-candles of even lighting, interior areas need at least one foot-candle, viewing booths cannot have doors or 'glory holes' and are limited to one patron each, and any adult live entertainment must keep performers at least ten feet from patrons behind a physical barrier and use a fixed stage at least eighteen inches high. A board or commission designated by the city manager can suspend a permit for up to six months or revoke it under Section 7.10.070 for code violations, false statements on the application, or certain sex-offense convictions of an employee occurring on the premises, and any affected person may appeal a permit decision to the city council within five days under Section 7.10.080.