Medford, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Spacing distance
- 750 feet from listed uses
- Protected uses
- schools, day care, playgrounds, churches, residential land
- Permit required
- special permit from board of appeals
- Disqualifying convictions
- M.G.L.A. c. 119 §63; c. 272 §28
- Display rule
- no adult merchandise visible from public areas
Summary
Medford bars adult entertainment establishments from locating within 750 feet of each other, of schools, day care facilities, playgrounds, churches, and residential or residentially zoned property. Section 94-7.1 requires a special permit from the Board of Appeals, and the zoning board denies a permit to anyone convicted under specific state obscenity or minor-protection statutes.
It is the purpose of this section governing adult entertainment establishments to address and mitigate the secondary effects of adult entertainment establishments and sexually oriented businesses that are referenced and defined herein. ... Adult entertainment establishments ... shall not be located less than 750 feet from the nearest lot line of: 1.Each other;2.Public or private nursery school;3.Public or private family day care homes, child care centers, or school aged child care programs;4.Public or private kindergartens;5.Public or private elementary schools;6.Public or private secondary schools;7.Playgrounds;8.Churches; and9.Residential properties or residentially zoned property.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 94-7.1.1 states the purpose is to address and mitigate the secondary effects of adult entertainment establishments and sexually oriented businesses, including increased crime and adverse impacts on property values and the business climate, while Sec. 94-7.1.2 grounds the chapter in M.G.L.A. Chapter 40A and the Massachusetts Constitution. Sec. 94-7.1.3 sets the core locational rule: such establishments cannot locate less than 750 feet from the nearest lot line of each other, any public or private nursery school, family day care home, child care center or school-aged child care program, kindergarten, elementary or secondary school, playground, church, or any residential or residentially zoned property.
Sec. 94-7.1.4 requires a special permit from the board of appeals, issued only after a written determination that the special permit criteria in Sec. 94-11.6 are satisfied. Sec. 94-7.1.5 adds two conditions: the board of appeals cannot issue a permit to any person convicted of violating M.G.L.A. c. 119, § 63 or M.G.L.A. c. 272, § 28, and no adult merchandise may be displayed in store windows or otherwise be visible from areas used by the general public.
Violations & Fines
A permit applicant with a disqualifying conviction under M.G.L.A. c. 119, § 63 or c. 272, § 28 cannot receive a special permit under Sec. 94-7.1.5, and an establishment operating outside the 750-foot spacing rule or without board of appeals approval is operating in violation of the zoning ordinance, exposing it to the chapter's general zoning enforcement and permit-revocation process. Visible display of adult merchandise from public areas is a separate, standalone violation of Sec. 94-7.1.5(2).
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a Medford adult entertainment business be from a school?
Can two adult entertainment establishments locate next to each other in Medford?
Who approves an adult entertainment establishment in Medford?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Medford
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