Manitou Springs, CO Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning
- Only Commercial and Mixed-Use zone districts allowed
- Buffer
- 750 feet from homes, parks, schools, churches, other businesses
- Hours
- Closed midnight-10 a.m. weekdays, midnight-noon Sunday
- License
- Operator license required from city clerk
- Background check
- Denied to anyone convicted of specified crime in 2 years
Summary
Sexually oriented businesses need a city operator license under Chapter 5.12 and can only open inside the Commercial and Mixed-Use zone districts, at least seven hundred fifty feet from any residential parcel, park, school, church, library, day care, liquor store, marijuana business or other sexually oriented business under Section 18.04.12.13. They must also close between midnight and 10 a.m. on weekdays and midnight and noon on Sundays.
All sexually oriented businesses in the city shall be licensed as set forth in this chapter, and it shall be unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in the city without a valid operator license provided for in this chapter and a valid business license pursuant to this title. ... 1.Sexually Oriented Businesses shall be allowed as a Permitted Use and only be located within the Commercial and Mixed-Use Zone Districts under the location criteria provided below. ... a.Sexually Oriented Businesses shall be located a minimum of seven hundred fifty feet from any property on which there is a:i.Residentially zoned parcel of real property or a residence;a)Public Park; ... j)Any other sexually oriented business. ... It is unlawful for a sexually oriented business to be open for business or for the licensee or any employee of a licensee to allow patrons upon the licensed premises on any Monday through Saturday between 12:00 a.m. (midnight) and 10:00 a.m.; and on any Sunday between 12:00 a.m. (midnight) and 12:00 p.m. (noon).
Full Breakdown
13. 030 makes it unlawful to operate an adult arcade, adult store, adult cabaret, adult motion picture theater or adult theater in the city without a valid sexually oriented business operator license issued by the city clerk, in addition to the general business license every business needs. 13(B) permits the use only within the Commercial and Mixed-Use zone districts, and even there it must sit at least seven hundred fifty feet, measured property line to property line in a straight line without regard to intervening structures, from any residentially zoned parcel or residence, public park, city trail, house of worship, public library, state-licensed child day care facility, school serving anyone under eighteen, school-owned athletic field or court, retail or medical marijuana establishment, liquor store, or any other sexually oriented business, and it cannot sit on city-owned property at all.
, or on Sunday between midnight and noon. 150 separately bars touching patrons, tips handed directly to entertainers, and any nudity by an employee serving food or drinks.
Violations & Fines
Violating Chapter 5.12, including operating outside the licensed hours or inside the seven-hundred-fifty-foot buffer, is punished under Section 1.01.100's citywide penalty of up to two thousand six hundred fifty dollars, up to ninety days in jail, or both, and Section 5.12.200 also lets the city clerk suspend or revoke the operator license and pursue injunctive relief plus attorney fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a sexually oriented business locate in Manitou Springs?
What hours can an adult business operate in Manitou Springs?
Does Manitou Springs run background checks on adult business owners?
Can a Manitou Springs strip club serve alcohol?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manitou Springs
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in El Paso County handle adult entertainment.