Shasta County, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential buffer
- 500 feet
- School/park/church buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Other adult business buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Waiver authority
- Planning commission, after hearing
- Core purpose
- Prevent clustering/concentration
Summary
Shasta County keeps adult entertainment businesses away from homes, schools and each other: Section 17.88.290 bars any new adult bookstore, theater, cabaret, model studio or similar use within 500 feet of residential zoning and within 1,000 feet of a school, park, church or another adult business. A planning commission waiver is the only way around the spacing rule.
1.In those land use districts where the "adult entertainment" businesses regulated by this section would otherwise be permitted uses, it shall be unlawful to establish any such "adult entertainment" business if the location is:a.Within five hundred feet of any area zoned for residential use, orb.Within one thousand feet of any other "adult entertainment" business, orc.Within one thousand feet of any public or private school, park, playground, public building, church, any noncommercial establishment operated by a bona fide religious organization or any establishment likely to be used by minors;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code: Supplement 22).
Full Breakdown
' Subsection B defines the regulated uses broadly: adult bookstores, adult hotels or motels, adult mini and full motion picture theaters, adult motion picture arcades, cabarets, model studios, and sexual encounter centers, all keyed to the section's definitions of 'specified sexual activities' and 'specified anatomical areas' in subsections C and D. Subsection E(1) makes it unlawful to establish any such business, even in a district where it would otherwise be a permitted use, within 500 feet of any residentially zoned area, within 1,000 feet of any other adult entertainment business, or within 1,000 feet of any public or private school, park, playground, public building, church, religious organization's noncommercial establishment, or any establishment likely to be used by minors. 'Establishment' under E(2) covers opening a new business, relocating one, or converting an existing business into an adult entertainment use. 020.
Violations & Fines
Establishing, relocating, or converting a business into a regulated adult entertainment use inside the 500-foot residential or 1,000-foot school/park/church/other-adult-business buffers set by Section 17.88.290(E) is unlawful unless the planning commission has granted a waiver under subsection F after a public hearing. Because the section sits in the zoning title, an unlawful location is enforced as a zoning violation under Shasta County Code Chapter 17.94, and a denied or unwaived location cannot be issued any permit or approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult business be from a residential zone in Shasta County?
Can two adult businesses locate next to each other?
Is there any way to get an exception to the spacing rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Shasta County
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