McLean County, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Section 350-43B governs adult entertainment establishments as a distinct use category in McLean County's zoning ordinance, layering several siting and design standards on top of whatever zoning district otherwise allows the use. The core spacing rule, § 350-43B(1), bars an adult entertainment establishment within 2,650 feet of any R-1 or R-2 zoned lot, or within 2,650 feet of any religious assembly, school, or park and recreation use, measured as a straight line from the establishment's nearest exterior wall to the nearest lot line of the protected use, without regard to intervening properties.

Section 350-43B(2) adds a second 2,650-foot buffer between one adult entertainment establishment and another, and between an adult entertainment establishment and any bar or tavern, preventing clustering. Access must run from a thoroughfare street under § 350-43B(3). The building design has to block sightlines: § 350-43B(4) requires openings, entries, and windows to prevent views into the establishment from any sidewalk, walkway, street, or public area, bans displaying merchandise or promotional pictures where they can be seen from the sidewalk, and confines all adult entertainment activity to inside the building.

Signage is capped under § 350-43B(5) at one wall-mounted sign, sized at no more than one square foot per linear foot of wall length and never exceeding 50 square feet total, with no flashing, blinking, or motion-simulating lighting and nothing extending above the roofline. 0 footcandles and bars glare or added brightness at the lot line.