Lewisville, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Article XI of Chapter 7 makes it an offense to operate a sexually-oriented business, defined to include adult arcades, adult bookstores or video stores, adult cabarets, adult motels, adult motion picture theaters, adult theaters, escort agencies, nude model studios, and sexual encounter centers, without a valid license issued by the city (Sec. 7-396). Applicants apply on a form from the chief of police, attaching a certificate of compliance with the zoning code's location standards and a scaled diagram of the premises (Sec. 7-397).

The chief of police must issue the license within 30 days unless the applicant is under 18, owes the city taxes, fees, fines, or penalties tied to a sexually-oriented business, falsified the application, was convicted of an article violation within the prior two years, hasn't paid the license fee, doesn't meet the zoning distance regulations, or was convicted of a disqualifying offense (prostitution, obscenity, indecency, sexual assault, incest, trafficking, and related crimes) within the last two years for a misdemeanor or five years for a felony (Sec. 7-399). The annual fee is set in Sec. 2-201, and the license expires one year after issuance, with renewal applications due at least 30 days before expiration (Sec. 7-400, 7-401).

Every licensed business must close daily from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. (Sec. 7-381). The chief of police may suspend a license for up to 30 days for violations of Secs. 7-375 through 7-381 or 7-405, refusing a lawful inspection, or knowingly allowing gambling (Sec. 7-402), and must revoke a license for false application information, drug or prostitution activity, operating while suspended, disqualifying convictions, or delinquent hotel occupancy, ad valorem, or sales taxes (Sec. 7-403). A revoked operator cannot reapply for one year.