LaPorte County, IN Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Section 113.03(A) provides that it is unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in the county without a valid sexually oriented business license, and § 113.03(B) separately makes it unlawful for an employee, as the chapter defines that term, to work without an employee license, unless that person already holds the business license. Applicants file in person with the County Administrator's office, submit fingerprints taken by the LaPorte County Sheriff's Department, disclose any specified criminal convictions from the past five years, and, for a business license, provide a legal description and scaled sketch of the premises showing floor area open to patrons.

Section 113.05 sets the license fees: $1,000 for the initial and annual renewal of a business license, and $100 for the initial and annual renewal of an employee license. Section 113.06 lets the County Administrator inspect the patron areas of a licensed premises on an occasional basis to check compliance, though the section bars a harassing or excessive inspection pattern. Section 113.15 additionally bars any sexually oriented business from being open between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on any day.

Licenses can be suspended or revoked under §§ 113.11 and 113.12, with a hearing and appeal process at § 113.13. Section 113.18 backs the whole chapter with fines of up to $750 plus court costs per violation, treats each day of a continuing violation as a separate offense, and lets the county pursue civil nuisance-abatement proceedings against a location where violations repeat.