Mebane, NC Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Mebane UDO Section 4-7.14(B) confines every adult establishment, defined in Article 12 to include adult arcades, bookstores, video stores, cabarets, motels, theaters, escort agencies and adult massage parlors, to the HM heavy manufacturing zoning district. The 1,500-foot buffer runs from the establishment's lot line to the nearest residence, school, church, community center, community college, community recreational facility or another adult establishment. Flashing or fluttering attention-getting lights are prohibited, and no sound may be amplified outside the building. A special use permit application must disclose the name, address and age of every owner, partner or corporate officer, plus a full list of criminal convictions, other than traffic offenses, touching prostitution, felonies, or adult-establishment, pornography or indecent-exposure violations; the City then has 30 days to verify the application before the process moves forward.

Only one adult business may occupy a given building, and no other principal or accessory use may share the space. Signage is limited strictly to a business identification sign permitted under Section 6-7; no other exterior advertising, promotional material, or signage visible from a road, sidewalk or walkway is allowed. Operating hours are locked to 10 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Saturday, meaning no Sunday operation at all. The City Council can revoke the special use permit for a misstatement of fact, an owner or employee conviction listed in the application requirements, or any other ordinance violation, using the revocation procedure in Section 11-6.