Nashville, TN Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing board
- Board of Licensing for Adult Entertainment and Safety
- Zoning location
- Adult entertainment overlay district only
- School/church/park buffer
- 500 feet, property line to property line
- Buffer between two such businesses
- 150 feet
- License transferability
- Non-transferable, one per location
Summary
Metro requires a board-issued license before any sexually oriented business opens, and zoning confines these uses to an adult entertainment overlay district set back 500 feet from schools, churches, day cares and parks.
B.Within the overlay district, no adult entertainment establishment shall be located within five hundred feet (measured property line to property line) of:1.A religious institution;2.A facility engaged primarily in community education;3.A day care center or day care home;4.A college or university; or5.A park.C.No adult entertainment establishment shall locate within an adopted redevelopment district unless that redevelopment district specifically authorizes adult entertainment uses as a permitted land use.D.No establishment classified as adult entertainment shall locate within one hundred fifty feet (measured property line to property line) of any other adult entertainment establishment. (Ord. BL2004-490 § 1, 2005)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
The Metropolitan Board of Licensing for Adult Entertainment and Safety must license every sexually oriented business before it operates anywhere in the general services district (Metro Code § 6.54.030). Separately, zoning locational standards restrict these uses to an adopted adult entertainment overlay district and require a 500-foot buffer, measured property line to property line, from religious institutions, community education facilities, day cares, colleges/universities and parks, plus 150 feet between two adult entertainment establishments (§ 17.36.260).
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented business without a board license is unlawful under § 6.54.030(A); an entertainer or employee knowingly working at an unlicensed one is also in violation. Siting a business outside the overlay district or inside the buffer distances violates § 17.36.260.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Nashville require a license for an adult entertainment business?
How close can an adult business be to a school or church in Nashville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
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