Largo, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

City Code § 7-57(a) requires every adult use establishment, other than an adult bookstore operating purely as a bookstore, to obtain an adult use license from the community development department before operating, with separate licenses required for each of five classifications: adult bookstore, adult theater, adult photographic or modeling studio, physical culture establishment, or special cabaret. Section 7-58 requires a sworn application disclosing ownership, any disqualifying criminal convictions within the past five years, prior license suspensions or revocations, and a professionally drawn site plan, plus a nonrefundable application fee.

Section 7-59 sends the application to the police department for an investigation before section 7-60 requires the community development department to grant or deny it within 30 calendar days. Separately, the locational standard in section 7-147(a) bars any adult use establishment from locating within 300 feet of residential land or a mixed-use area developed for residential use, or within 1,000 feet of a church, school, child care facility, or public recreation area lawfully located there. Section 7-147(b) adds a 1,500-foot buffer between any two adult uses, measured regardless of whether the other adult use sits in Largo or in a neighboring jurisdiction, with distances measured along a straight line between the nearest property lines under section 7-147(c). An adult use permit confirming this locational compliance, obtained under section 7-148, is a prerequisite to getting the license itself.