Long Beach, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential buffer
- 300 ft
- School buffer
- 1,000 ft
- Park buffer
- 600 ft
- Church buffer
- 500 ft
- Other adult business buffer
- 1,000 ft
- Hours
- 9:00 a.m.–midnight only
Summary
Adult entertainment businesses in Long Beach must sit at least 300 feet from any residential zone, 1,000 feet from a school or another adult business, 600 feet from a City park, and 500 feet from a church under Municipal Code § 21.45.110. The code also bars them from several named commercial corridors and caps hours to 9 a.m.–midnight.
Adult entertainment businesses may not be located: a. Within three hundred feet (300') of any residential zoning district or residential Planned Development District (specifically excluding mixed-use zones) within the City; or b. Within one thousand feet (1,000′) of any public or private school (kindergarten through twelfth grade) located within the City; or c. Within six hundred feet (600′) of a City park; or d. Within five hundred feet (500′) of a church... or e. Within one thousand feet (1,000′) of any other adult entertainment business... F. Hours of Operation. An adult entertainment business shall not operate between the hours of twelve (12:00) midnight and nine (9:00) a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
510, and 1,000 feet from any other adult entertainment business. The section also names specific corridors where new adult businesses cannot front, including stretches of Pacific Coast Highway between Hayes and Termino Avenues, Anaheim Street between the Long Beach Freeway and Termino, Santa Fe Avenue between Anaheim and PCH, Artesia Boulevard between Paramount and Downey, and Broadway between Atlantic and Euclid, areas the Long Beach Police Department determined experience high rates of arrests for prostitution, lewd behavior and disorderly conduct, a finding the code requires be reviewed every three years starting October 1, 1997. m.
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult entertainment business inside a prohibited buffer zone or outside the 9 a.m.-to-midnight window is a zoning violation enforceable citywide under LBMC § 1.32.060: a 10-day notice to cure, then escalating citations of $100, $250 and a $1,000 misdemeanor for repeat noncompliance within six months, plus the City's separate authority to pursue license revocation or civil nuisance abatement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult entertainment business be from a school in Long Beach?
Can an adult business operate 24 hours in Long Beach?
Are there streets where adult businesses can never locate regardless of distance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle adult entertainment.