Key Facts Ordinance Text Full Breakdown Violations FAQ Sources More in Lakewood

Lakewood, CO Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Significant Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Buffer from schools/churches/parks/homes: 750 feet
Buffer from another adult business: 1,000 feet
Annual license fee: $500.00, City Clerk
Application processing fee: $150.00, nonrefundable
Max license suspension: Six months
Nonconforming status lost after: 180-day closure

Summary

Lakewood bans adult businesses within 750 feet of churches, schools, child care facilities, parks and residentially zoned lots, and within 1,000 feet of another adult business or licensed massage parlor. Operating also requires a separate $500.00 license from the City Clerk under Municipal Code Chapter 5.47.

A. It is unlawful to operate or cause to be operated an adult business in any location except as provided in the Lakewood Zoning Ordinance. B. It is unlawful to operate or cause to be operated an adult business within 750 feet of the property line of the following, whether located inside or outside the municipal boundaries: 1. A church; 2. A school or child care facility; 3. A public park, recreational center, or community center; or 4. A lot zoned for residential use. C. It is unlawful to cause or permit the operation of an adult business within 1,000 feet of another adult business or a massage parlor as defined by Section 5.52.020 of this Lakewood Municipal Code. The distance between any two such businesses shall be measured in a straight line, without regard to intervening structures or objects, from and to the closest exterior wall of the structure in which the adult business is located. D. It is unlawful to cause or permit the operation or maintenance of more than one adult business in the same building, structure, or portion thereof.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 14 | Zoning Ordinance: ?).

Full Breakdown

030 to cover adult arcades, bookstores, novelty and video stores, cabarets, motels, motion picture theaters, nude model studios and sexual encounter centers. 040(A), an adult business may operate only where the Lakewood Zoning Ordinance allows it. 040(B) separately bars operation within 750 feet of the property line of a church, a school or child care facility, a public park, recreational center or community center, or any residentially zoned lot, whether that protected use sits inside or outside the city limits. 020, measured in a straight line between the closest exterior walls without regard to intervening structures.

040(D) prohibits more than one adult business in the same building or structure. 040(F) strips that protection if the business closes for 180 days or more, regardless of intent to reopen. 050(A)), refunded in full if the application is withdrawn or denied. 060(A)). 110).

Violations & Fines

Operating without the license, inside a buffer zone, or stacked with a second adult business in one building is punishable under the general penalty in § 1.16.020, with each violation and each day of continued noncompliance treated as a separate offense (§ 5.47.280(A)). The City may also seek injunctive relief or civil damages, and every remedy in Chapter 5.47 is cumulative rather than exclusive (§ 5.47.280(B)-(C)). The City Manager or designee can suspend a license for up to six months, or revoke it after two suspension-level violations within two years, following a quasi-judicial hearing (§ 5.47.150, § 5.47.160).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an existing Lakewood adult business be forced out if a school later opens nearby?

No. Section 5.47.040(F) protects a lawfully operating adult business as a nonconforming use even after a church, school, park or residential zone appears within 750 feet, but if the business ever closes for 180 days or more it may not recommence operation at that location.

How far apart must two adult businesses be in Lakewood?

At least 1,000 feet, measured in a straight line between the closest exterior walls of the two structures without regard to intervening buildings, under Municipal Code § 5.47.040(C). The same 1,000-foot rule applies to a licensed massage parlor.

What does an adult business license cost in Lakewood?

A $500.00 license fee under § 5.47.050(A), refunded in full if the application is withdrawn or denied, plus a separate $150.00 nonrefundable processing fee and a state investigation fee under § 5.47.080.

Can a denied applicant appeal in Lakewood?

Yes. Section 5.47.110 grants a quasi-judicial hearing before the City Manager or designee, requested within ten days of the denial notice, with further appeal to the District Court available under Colorado Rule of Civil Procedure 106(a)(4).

Sources & Official References

[1]Lakewood Municipal Code § 5.47.040 (Municode Library)

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