Lakewood, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Cabaret, manager, and entertainer each
- Hours ban
- 2:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- SOB spacing
- 1,000 feet from any existing SOB
- Location limit
- Confined to mapped SOBO overlay zones
- Minimum age
- 21, or 18 if no liquor served
Summary
Lakewood, Pierce County, requires a City license for every adult cabaret plus separate manager and entertainer licenses, bans operation between 2:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., and confines new sexually oriented businesses to designated overlay zones set at least 1,000 feet from any existing one.
A. It is unlawful for any person to conduct, manage or operate an adult cabaret unless such person is the holder of a valid and subsisting license from the City to do so, obtained in the manner provided in this chapter. ... E. It is unlawful for any adult cabaret to be operated or otherwise open to the public between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. ... Newly established or created SOBs shall be allowed to locate anywhere within a SOBO, except that all new SOBs must be located at least one thousand (1,000) feet away from any SOB that lawfully existed prior to the receipt of the new application.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 852, passed June 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
020). 040). 030). m. 050). 260). 251(B)).
Violations & Fines
Operating, managing, or working at an unlicensed adult cabaret, or violating the chapter's conduct or facility standards, is a misdemeanor under LMC 5.16.090. The City may also declare a violating cabaret a public nuisance and sue to enjoin or abate it (LMC 5.16.100), and can pursue any other legal or equitable remedy under LMC 5.16.110. A SOB sited outside a designated overlay or within 1,000 feet of an existing SOB has its license application denied under LMC 18A.50.250(B) and 18A.50.260.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an adult cabaret open anywhere in Lakewood, Washington?
How far apart must adult businesses be in Lakewood?
What hours can an adult cabaret operate in Lakewood?
Do entertainers at a Lakewood adult cabaret need their own license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
Compare Lakewood to another location·View the Washington business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle adult entertainment.