Murfreesboro, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 1,000 feet from listed uses
- Related performance rule
- 500 ft, Code § 21-25
- Pre-existing businesses
- Legal nonconforming use
- Penalty basis
- Code § 1-8
Summary
Murfreesboro bars sexually oriented adult businesses from operating within 1,000 feet of churches, daycares, libraries, schools, funeral homes, parks, residential lots, and alcohol-permitted businesses under City Code § 21-24.
A person commits an offense if the person operates or causes to be operated an adults-only bookstore, adult cabaret, adults-only motion picture theater, adult entertainment centers, adult motel, massage parlor, rap parlor, or sauna ... within 1,000 feet of: (1) a church; (2) a state-licensed daycare facility; (3) public library; (4) public or private educational facilities which serve persons age 17 or younger, an elementary school, or a high school; (5) a funeral parlor/home; (6) a public park; (7) the property line of a lot devoted to residential use...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 18 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 21-24(A) makes it an offense to operate an adults-only bookstore, adult cabaret, adult theater, adult entertainment center, adult motel, massage parlor, rap parlor, or sauna within 1,000 feet of a church, state-licensed daycare, public library, school serving persons 17 or younger, funeral home, public park, residential lot line, residentially zoned district, or an alcohol-permitted business. Measurements run in a straight line between nearest lot lines, ignoring intervening structures. Businesses lawfully operating before the section took effect become legal nonconforming uses; a related section, § 21-25, sets a 500-foot buffer for live sexually oriented adult entertainment performances. Violations are punished under Code § 1-8.
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented adult business within the 1,000-foot buffer, or two such businesses within 1,000 feet of each other, is an offense punishable under Code § 1-8.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult business be from a Murfreesboro school?
What if an adult business was already operating before a church moved in nearby?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Murfreesboro
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