New Britain, CT Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License authority
- Chief of Police, Sec. 14-263
- Application fee
- $125, filed with city clerk
- Adult-use spacing
- 1,500 ft from another adult use
- Residential buffer
- 250 feet from residentially zoned land
- Sensitive-use buffer
- 1,000 ft from schools, parks, churches
- Operating hours
- 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (2 a.m. Sun.)
- Max fine
- $100 per violation, misdemeanor arrest
Summary
Operating an adult-oriented establishment in New Britain requires a license from the Chief of Police under Sec. 14-263, with a $125 application fee. The Zoning Ordinance layers on spacing rules: no adult use within 1,500 feet of another, 250 feet of residential land, or 1,000 feet of a school, park, church or hospital, and hours run 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
(a)Except as provided in subsection (d) below, from and after the effective date of this article, it shall be unlawful for any person, partnership or corporation, to engage in, conduct, or carry on or permit to be engaged in, conducted, or carried on, in or upon any premises in the city, the operation of an adult-oriented establishment without first obtaining a license to operate from the City of New Britain Chief of Police.(b)A license may be issued for only one adult-oriented establishment located at a fixed and certain place. Any person, partnership, or corporation which desires to operate more than one adult-oriented establishment must have a license for each.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 14-263 makes it unlawful to operate an adult-oriented establishment, defined broadly under Sec. 14-261 to include adult bookstores, cabarets, and mini or full motion picture theaters, without a license from the City of New Britain Chief of Police, and a separate license is required for each fixed location. Applicants file in triplicate with the city clerk along with a $125 fee under Sec. 14-264, disclosing owners, employees, entertainers, corporate details and any prior license revocations or sex-related convictions within three years. The chief of police has 90 days to investigate and issue or deny the license under Sec.
14-265, and can deny it for building, health, zoning or fire code noncompliance or a disqualifying conviction. Once licensed, Sec. 14-262 requires interior booths and viewing rooms to stay fully visible from common areas with no curtains or partitions, bans minors from entering, and sets minimum lighting of one foot-candle at floor level. Sec. 14-262(h) limits hours to no earlier than 10:00 a.m. and no later than 1:00 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 2:00 a.m. on Sunday or a legal holiday. The Zoning Ordinance's special-exception standards at Sec.
270-40-40.05 add locational limits: no adult-oriented establishment within 1,500 feet of another existing adult use, within 250 feet of residentially zoned land, or within 1,000 feet of a school, day care, park, cemetery, hospital, library or place of worship, plus parking at one space per 100 square feet of leased floor area and a ban on alcohol sales except limited adult cabaret exceptions.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 14-269 makes operating without a license, or violating any provision of the article, a fine of up to $100 per violation and a misdemeanor arrest, with each continuing hour counted as a separate offense. Sec. 14-267 lets the chief of police suspend a license for 30 days or revoke it for false statements, unpaid fees, a disqualifying conviction, or repeat violations of Sec. 14-262's interior-visibility rules. A revoked license bars reapplying for five years; denials and revocations are appealable to Superior Court within 15 days under Sec. 14-268.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues an adult business license in New Britain?
How far must an adult business stay from a school?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Britain
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