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

v. City of Las Vegas, a Ninth Circuit case that struck down prior-permitting schemes for adult businesses; Ontario responded by converting its permit into a registration certificate. 801(a) requires any person, partnership or corporation seeking a business license tax certificate for an adult business to apply, under oath, to the City Manager or designee, paying a fee set by Council resolution. The application must disclose the owner's name and address, corporate officers and any stockholder holding 10% or more of the company, the property owner's consent if the applicant does not own the site, the proposed hours and admission fee, and a vicinity map prepared by a registered civil engineer showing the required separation from other zones.

Every listed individual must submit fingerprints taken by the Ontario Police Department, a passport-style photograph, proof of age 18 or older, and a five-year residence and employment history. 801(b) applies the same registration process to adult business performers individually. 802 then bars operation altogether if any listed person was convicted of a 'specified criminal act,' meaning sexual crimes against children, sexual abuse, rape, prostitution, pandering, or distributing obscenity or material harmful to minors: two years must have passed since a qualifying misdemeanor conviction or release, and five years since a felony conviction, two or more misdemeanors within 24 months, or an appealed conviction (an appeal does not toll the bar).

803, the City Manager or designee has three business days to determine whether a complete application has been filed and, if the business and its principals qualify, must issue the registration certificate, which must be permanently displayed at the location and updated within 30 days of any change in the application information.