Oklahoma City, OK Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning districts
- C-3, C-4, C-CBD, DBD only
- Spacing from other adult uses
- 1,000 feet
- Buffer from churches/schools/parks
- 500 feet
- Buffer from residential zones
- 500 feet
- Permit required
- Conditional use permit
Summary
Oklahoma City confines adult entertainment uses, bookstores, cabarets, motion picture arcades, to the C-3, C-4, C-CBD and DBD zoning districts, requires a conditional use permit, and enforces 1,000-foot spacing between such uses and 500-foot buffers from churches, schools, parks and residential zones.
(1)Adult entertainment uses as specified herein above shall be permitted to locate only in the C-3, C-4, C-CBD and DBD Districts.(2)No conditional use permit shall be granted for any proposed location which is within a 1,000-foot radius of any other Adult Entertainment Use, as specified herein above.(3)No Adult Entertainment Use shall be allowed to locate within a 500-foot radius of any church, public or private school (i.e. type which offers a compulsory educational curriculum), or public or private park. No Adult Entertainment Use shall be allowed to locate within 500 feet of any area zoned for residential use.(4)All distances required to be met pursuant to the terms of this section shall begin at the property line of the proposed use and be measured to the nearest property line of the public or private school, park, church, residentially zoned area or Adult Entertainment Use within the proscribed distance, if any.C.Adult Entertainment Uses in Violation of These Provisions. Any business in existence as of the effective date of this chapter, which is in violation hereof, shall be deemed an illegal use. Such illegal uses shall not in any manner be enlarged, extended, altered or rebuilt except that such uses may be changed to comply with the provisions of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
The zoning code's Adult Entertainment Uses standard (Section 59-9350.4) exists because concentrated adult businesses tend to blight surrounding areas. An operator must obtain a conditional use permit from the Development Services Director before locating, relocating, remodeling or rebuilding, and the site must sit in a C-3, C-4, C-CBD or DBD district. No permit issues within 1,000 feet of another adult entertainment use, or within 500 feet of a church, school with a compulsory curriculum, public or private park, or any residentially zoned land: distances run property line to property line. Where two such uses already sit within 1,000 feet of each other, the one first licensed or continuously operating is deemed the lawful, complying use.
Violations & Fines
Operating outside the approved districts or inside the buffer zones makes the use illegal: it can't be enlarged, extended, altered or rebuilt until brought into compliance or terminated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which zoning districts allow adult entertainment businesses in Oklahoma City?
How close can two adult entertainment businesses be to each other?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oklahoma City
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle adult entertainment.