Lexington, KY Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Sec. 14-13 defines an 'adult entertainment establishment' to include any adult cabaret, adult dancing establishment, or sexual entertainment center featuring nearly-nude or nude performers, and separately licenses escort agencies under Sec. 5. Sec. 2 bars anyone from owning or operating such a business 'without an adult entertainment establishment license,' requiring a written application to the Department of Public Safety disclosing ownership, the real-property owner's notarized consent if different from the applicant, and any change to that information within 48 hours. Sec. 2 sets the fee structure: a nonrefundable $100 fee due with the application, plus an annual license fee of $600 due at issuance and every January 1 after.

The commissioner can deny a license for listed disqualifications, including a failure to correct a health, zoning, fire, or building code violation, and can suspend a license for up to 30 days or revoke it for operating while suspended or other article violations, with written notice, a five-business-day response window, and an informal hearing before the chief administrative officer; a denied or revoked applicant can appeal to Fayette Circuit Court and keep operating pending that judicial review. Sec. m. Individual performers separately need an 'adult entertainer' license under Sec. 3, issued or denied within ten days of application.