Mount Vernon, NY Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 267-32I
- Approval required
- special permit under Chapter 267
- Floor-space cap
- 5,000 square feet per business
- Sensitive-use buffer
- 500 feet from schools, parks, homes
- Business-to-business buffer
- 1,000 feet apart
- Age restriction
- no patrons or staff under 18
Summary
Mount Vernon allows an adult entertainment store, live entertainment business or adult motion-picture theater only by special permit, capped at 5,000 square feet, one type per property, and kept at least 500 feet from any residential district, park, school, house of worship or day-care center, and 1,000 feet from any other such business.
An adult entertainment store, adult live entertainment business or adult motion-picture theater may be established on a property by special permit subject to the following conditions: ... No one establishment may exceed more than 5,000 square feet of floor space. Floor space includes storage areas and other areas restricted to employees or owners only, but does not include spaces where human occupation does not normally occur, such as an unfinished attic or basement with less than six feet from floor to ceiling of said attic or basement. ... No property with an adult entertainment business shall be located any closer than 500 feet from an property line of any residential district, parks, schools, places of worship, community centers, youth services, day-care centers, nursery schools or museums within the City or in any adjoining municipality. Distance between property lines shall be measured from the shortest distance between the two property lines irrespective of rights-of-way. ... No adult entertainment business shall be established ... within 1,000 feet of any other adult entertainment business, as defined by Chapter 267, Article II.
Full Breakdown
City of Mount Vernon Code § 267-32I sets twelve conditions an adult entertainment store, adult live entertainment business or adult motion-picture theater must meet to obtain a special permit under Chapter 267's zoning ordinance. No single establishment may exceed 5,000 square feet of floor space, and only one type of adult entertainment business may operate on any one property. Displays of adult entertainment merchandise or signage depicting specified sexual activities or anatomical areas may not be visible, even partially, from any public right-of-way, and live performances or viewing areas cannot be conducted outdoors or made visible from the street.
Persons under 18 may not patronize or work at the business. § 267-4 defines 'adult entertainment business' as an adult entertainment store, adult live entertainment business or adult motion-picture show, expressly excluding adult massage establishments, adult hotels or sexual encounter establishments, all of which the City prohibits outright rather than permits. m.
Violations & Fines
An adult entertainment business operating without the § 267-32I special permit, or in violation of its floor-space, buffer, signage or hours conditions, is a zoning violation enforceable under Chapter 267's Article X enforcement provisions, subject to the City's standard zoning penalties and the denial or revocation of the special permit itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an adult bookstore open anywhere in Mount Vernon?
How big can an adult entertainment business be in Mount Vernon?
Are minors allowed inside an adult entertainment business in Mount Vernon?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mount Vernon
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Westchester County handle adult entertainment.