Snohomish County, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License authority
- Licensing authority & Sheriff
- Studio hours
- Closed 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
- Minimum age
- 18, patrons/managers/entertainers
- First suspension
- 30 days (SCC 6.25.135)
- License expires
- December 31 each year
- Stage separation
- At least 6 feet from patrons
Summary
Unincorporated Snohomish County requires a separate license for any adult entertainment dance studio and for every manager and adult entertainer who works there, issued under SCC Chapter 6.25. Studios must close between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., bar anyone under 18, and prohibit alcohol or controlled substances on the premises. The Sheriff's Office and licensing authority jointly investigate every applicant before a license issues.
(4) No adult entertainment dance studio licensee shall employ as a manager or adult entertainer a person under the age of 18 years or a person not licensed pursuant to this chapter.
(5) No person under the age of 18 years shall be admitted to an adult entertainment dance studio.
(6) An adult entertainment dance studio shall be closed between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
(7) No adult entertainment dance studio licensee shall serve, sell, distribute, or suffer the consumption or possession of any intoxicating liquor or controlled substance upon the premises of the licensee.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
040). 080. 050). The Sheriff, health officer, fire marshal, and department of planning and development services each review the application and must report compliance within 25 days before the license can issue; no license goes to anyone under 18. Once issued, a license expires December 31 of the year it was granted and is not transferable. , bar admission to anyone under 18, forbid alcohol or controlled substances on the premises, and require the license be posted during business hours. 115). A required sign at least two feet square must list entertainment prices and post statutory conduct restrictions. 090 also expire December 31 and are location-specific; a change of employer requires reissuance.
Violations & Fines
The licensing authority may suspend a studio license for 30 days on a first violation of chapter 6.25, 90 days for a second, and 120 days for a third or subsequent violation within 24 months (SCC 6.25.135). A license procured by fraud is revoked outright. Suspension or revocation begins with a notice and order; the licensee may appeal to the Snohomish County hearing examiner, and enforcement is stayed pending that appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Snohomish County require a license for an adult entertainment dance studio?
What hours can an adult entertainment dance studio operate?
What happens if a licensed studio violates the ordinance?
Do these rules apply inside Everett or Marysville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
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