Livonia, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Section 6.01 of the Zoning Ordinance treats "Adult Businesses" as a waiver use permitted only in the C-3 District, meaning every proposed location needs Planning Commission review and City Council approval before it can open, rather than being allowed by right anywhere in the city. The spacing rule is the operative control: no adult business may locate within 1,000 feet of any property that is either occupied by, or already approved for, another adult business, and no adult business may locate within 500 feet of any property occupied by or zoned for residential use. Both distances are measured from any point on the property in question, giving the city a wide buffer against clustering and against residential proximity in one rule.

Access is also restricted. The parcel must have direct access to a major thoroughfare with an existing or planned right-of-way width of at least 120 feet, as designated on the city's Future Transportation Map, the same access standard Livonia applies to other high-traffic C-3 uses like automobile sales lots and hospitals. Because the use is a waiver use rather than a permitted use, the Planning Commission reviews each application against the General Waiver Requirements and General Standards in Section 13.13(6) before the City Council can grant approval, and any relief from the spacing or access standards would require a variance from the Board of Appeals rather than administrative approval.