Livermore, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- City Council by resolution
- Application fee
- $50 nonrefundable
- Spacing buffer
- 1,000 ft from schools, playgrounds, other adult businesses, residential zones
- Operating hours
- 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight
- Transfer fee
- $50; permit voids 30 days after uncleared transfer
- Revocation process
- Police Chief initiates; City Manager hearing in 10-30 days
Summary
Livermore bars adult bookstores and adult motion picture theaters within 1,000 feet of elementary or junior high schools, public playgrounds, other adult businesses, or any residentially zoned parcel. Operators need a City Council-issued permit under Chapter 5.08 before opening, and the Chief of Police can move to suspend or revoke that permit for disorderly conduct or state-law violations on the premises.
A. No adult bookstore or adult motion picture theater shall be located on any property, or any portion thereof, which is within 1,000 feet of any property or portion thereof used for any elementary school, junior high school or public playground. B. No adult bookstore or adult motion picture theater shall be located on any property, or any portion thereof, which is within 1,000 feet of any other property or portion thereof on which an adult bookstore or an adult motion picture theater is located and doing business. C. No adult bookstore or adult motion picture theater shall be located on any property, or portion thereof, which is within 1,000 feet of any lot or parcel of property, or portion thereof, which is located in a zone district which designates single-family or multiple-family residential uses as permitted uses.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5.08 of the Livermore Municipal Code requires a permit, granted or revoked only by City Council resolution, before anyone may operate an adult bookstore or adult motion picture theater (§ 5.08.030). Applicants file with the City Council along with a nonrefundable $50 fee and must disclose prior addresses, employment and business-license history for the preceding three years, all non-traffic criminal convictions, and, for a corporation or partnership, every officer, director or 5%+ stockholder (§ 5.08.050). The Chief of Police investigates the application, and a permit must be denied if any covered person was convicted within the preceding five years of specified Penal Code sex-offense sections (266i, 315, 316, 318, 647(b)) or must register as a sex offender under Penal Code § 290 (§ 5.08.060, § 5.08.070).
Location is separately restricted under § 5.08.110: no site within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, junior high school or public playground; within 1,000 feet of another operating adult bookstore or theater; or within 1,000 feet of any parcel zoned to permit single-family or multiple-family residential use. Business hours are capped at 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight, and sexually explicit stock-in-trade, posters or advertising cannot be displayed where visible from a public street, residence or other business (§ 5.08.120). A permit is not transferable without City Council approval of a new application and a $50 transfer fee, and it lapses automatically 30 days after any uncleared sale or transfer of the business (§ 5.08.090).
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult bookstore or adult motion picture theater without a City Council permit is unlawful under § 5.08.030. Under § 5.08.130 the Chief of Police may initiate suspension or permanent revocation for permitting public disorder, lewd or intoxicated persons on the premises, conduct violating listed Penal Code sex-crime, obscenity or disorderly-conduct sections, drug offenses under Health and Safety Code §§ 11054-11058, or knowingly admitting anyone under 18. The City Manager holds an administrative hearing 10 to 30 days after written notice of the violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a Livermore adult bookstore be from a school?
Can I open an adult bookstore in Livermore without a permit?
What hours can Livermore adult businesses stay open?
Can the City revoke an adult business permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Livermore
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