Mcallen, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer from churches, schools, homes, parks
- 1,320 feet
- Spacing between adult businesses
- 750 feet
- Location
- Authorized zoning districts only
- Governing section
- § 54-153, Article VI
- Enforcement
- Code enforcement, police, injunction
Summary
McAllen bars a sexually oriented business within 1,320 feet of any church, public or private school, day care, park, residential district, residential lot, or child-oriented entertainment business, and within 750 feet of another such business. It may operate only in zoning districts the McAllen Zoning Ordinance authorizes.
(a) A person commits an offense if that person operates or causes to be operated a sexually oriented business in any zoning district other than as authorized ... under the City of McAllen Zoning Ordinance. (b) A person commits an offense if the person operates ... a sexually oriented business within 1,320 feet of: (1) A church, synagogue, mosque, temple ...; (2) A public or private educational facility ...; (3) A boundary of a residential ... district; (4) A public park or recreational area ... (c) ... within 750 feet of another sexually oriented business.
Full Breakdown
Code § 54-153 makes it an offense to operate a sexually oriented business outside a zoning district authorized under the City of McAllen Zoning Ordinance. A 1,320-foot separation applies from churches and religious-worship buildings; public or private educational facilities from day care through universities; residential district boundaries; public parks and recreation areas; residential lot property lines; and any entertainment business oriented primarily toward children or family entertainment. A separate 750-foot buffer keeps these businesses apart from one another, barring establishment, substantial enlargement, or ownership transfer within that radius. City code enforcement officers and police enforce Article VI, which the city may also enforce by injunction under § 54-158.
Violations & Fines
Operating, establishing, substantially enlarging, or transferring ownership of a sexually oriented business inside a prohibited 1,320-foot or 750-foot buffer, or in an unauthorized zoning district, is a criminal offense the city may also halt by injunction under § 54-158.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a McAllen adult business stay from schools and churches?
Can two adult businesses open near each other in McAllen?
Does McAllen require a separate sexually oriented business license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mcallen
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Hidalgo County handle adult entertainment.