New Bedford, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- City Council special permit
- Allowed zones
- Business, Mixed Use, Industrial A/B/C, Waterfront Industrial
- Buffer distance
- 500 feet from residences, schools, churches, adult uses, bars
- Floor area cap
- 3,500 square feet gross floor area
- Screening required
- 5-ft buffer, 6-ft fence or 5-ft evergreens
- Barred districts
- Residential, historic district, Central Business District
Summary
New Bedford allows adult entertainment establishments only by special permit from the City Council, and only within Business, Mixed Use, Business Planned, Industrial A, B or C, or Waterfront Industrial districts. The city bars them outright from residential zones, the Bedford Landing-Waterfront Historic District, and the Central Business District, and requires a 500-foot buffer from housing, schools, churches, other adult businesses, and liquor licensees.
4110. General. No building or buildings shall be used as an adult entertainment establishment within a Business, Mixed Use, Business Planned, Industrial "A", Industrial "B", Industrial "C", or Waterfront Industrial District, unless a special permit for such use is granted by the City Council in accordance with the following provisions. No special permit for an adult entertainment establishment shall be granted for a building or buildings located within any residential district, the Bedford Landing-Waterfront Historic District ... or the Central Business District .... 4120. Separation Distances. Adult entertainment establishments or uses may be permitted only when located outside the area circumscribed by a circle which has a radius of five hundred (500) feet from the following specified uses or zoning district boundaries: Residential district; School or church; Another adult entertainment establishment; An establishment licensed to sell alcoholic beverages under the provisions of M.G.L.A. c. 138, § 12.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19).
Full Breakdown
Section 4110 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance lets an adult entertainment establishment operate only after the City Council grants a special permit, and only in a Business, Mixed Use, Business Planned, Industrial "A", "B" or "C", or Waterfront Industrial district. No permit can issue for a building in any residential district, the Bedford Landing-Waterfront Historic District, or the Central Business District. c. 138, § 12. Section 4130 sets the measuring rule, running from the closest point of the applicant's parcel to the closest point of the protected use or district line, except that distances between two adult businesses, or between an adult business and a liquor licensee, run building-to-building.
Section 4140 caps gross floor area at 3,500 square feet. Section 4150 confines parking to the side or rear yard, requires it to be fully illuminated with light contained on the property, and requires landscaping under the ordinance's general standards. Section 4160 adds a five-foot landscaped buffer along side and rear lot lines, planted with evergreens at least five feet tall or a solid fence at least six feet high.
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult entertainment business without the City Council special permit, in a barred district, or inside the 500-foot buffer is a zoning violation. Section 5120 directs the Inspector of Buildings, acting as Zoning Enforcement Officer, to enforce full compliance with the ordinance, with penalties running under the state zoning act, M.G.L.A. c. 40A, § 7, which the ordinance cites directly. Continued operation without relief can draw a court order halting the use.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is there a size limit on adult entertainment establishments?
Sources & Official References
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle adult entertainment.