Lincoln County, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

01 after finding an increasing trend in the display of sexually explicit material in commercial establishments where it is within the open view of minors and thereby easily accessible to them, calling that display adverse and detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens, particularly minors. The section defines sexually explicit material narrowly, by its cover imagery on books, magazines or newspapers depicting intercourse, masturbation, homosexual acts, genital touching, flagellation, or uncovered post-pubertal genitalia. It is unlawful to knowingly place on public display such material in an establishment frequented by minors, but the material may still be shelved if it sits behind an opaque screen or border of sufficient height so that only the title is visible.

Knowingly covers both actual knowledge and a failure to make a reasonable inspection that would have revealed the material's content. The ordinance is a narrow display restriction rather than a business-licensing or adult-use-zoning scheme; the code contains no separate sexually-oriented-business permit, license, or minimum-distance/spacing requirement for the county's unincorporated area. 01 has applied since August 7, 1980, and by its own terms, division (F), does not apply within the City of Lincolnton, which enforces its own similar ordinance.