Nampa, ID Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- business and each employee
- School/park buffer
- 1,000 feet minimum
- Adult-to-adult buffer
- 500 feet minimum
- Highway buffer
- 150 feet from state highway
- Max penalty
- $300 fine, 6 months jail
Summary
Nampa requires a city license to operate any sexually oriented business and bars new ones within 1,000 feet of a school, park, or residential area under City Code chapter 5-18.
No adult store, adult theater, or business operating an adult arcade machine may be located: 1. Within 1,000 feet of any school or park; or 2. Within 500 feet of any existing adult store, adult theater, or business operating an adult arcade machine. 3. Within those areas of the city designated residential or within 1,000 feet of the boundaries of such areas...4. Within 150 feet of the right-of-way for Interstate 80N or any state highway.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 16 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code chapter 5-18 makes it a misdemeanor to operate an adult arcade, bookstore, cabaret, motel, theater, escort agency, or similar business without a sexually oriented business license from the enforcement officer (police chief) and city clerk, and employees must be separately licensed. Section 5-18-13 then layers on siting rules: no adult store, theater, or arcade business may locate within 1,000 feet of a school or park, within 500 feet of another adult business, within a residential zone (or 1,000 feet of one), or within 150 feet of an interstate or state highway right-of-way. The city council can grant a variance after a noticed public hearing if the business keeps at least one-third of the required buffer.
Violations & Fines
Operating, or employing someone to operate, a sexually oriented business without the required license, or violating the transfer/location rules, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $300 fine and/or six months' incarceration, with each day of operation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nampa
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