Novato, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Division 19.23 of the Novato Zoning Ordinance regulates Adult-Oriented Businesses. Under section 19.23.020 it is unlawful to operate one without an Adult-Oriented Business Regulatory Permit for each site, and holding other state or City permits or licenses does not excuse the requirement. Live performers depicting specified anatomical areas or specified sexual activities need a separate Performer Permit, and an owner or manager cannot let anyone perform without a valid, unrevoked one.

Section 19.23.030 adds the location test. The business has to be in a zoning district that allows it under Article 2 and on a site that clears five separations: 300 feet from any other Adult-Oriented Business, 500 feet from any religious facility, 500 feet from any school or other youth or minor-oriented use as determined by the Zoning Administrator (video game arcades, skating rinks and pizza parlors are the examples printed), 500 feet from any public park, and 300 feet from any residential zoning district or conforming residential use such as a mixed use project. Distances run in a straight line between the closest points on the property lines of each site.

The permit itself is processed by the Police Chief under section 19.23.040. The applicant files on a City form and pays a non-refundable filing fee set by Council resolution. The application needs a floor plan, a parking diagram, and a certificate and straight-line drawing prepared within 30 days before filing that shows nearby adult businesses and incompatible uses. The Police Chief has 30 days from a completed application to grant or deny it, and the applicant can begin operating if the Chief neither grants nor denies in that time, subject to strict compliance with section 19.23.080.

A Regulatory Permit expires one year from issuance, and a renewal request must be filed at least 30 days before expiration or the expiration is not stayed. The permit is nontransferable except through an amendment approved by the Police Chief. Discipline under section 19.23.060 is a warning, a suspension not exceeding six months, or revocation, after a hearing on at least 10 days' notice. Under section 19.23.070 a denial, suspension or revocation can be appealed to the Council under Division 19.54, and the Council acts within sixty days of the request.