Palm Bay, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- School/park buffer
- 2,500 feet
- Buffer from another such business
- 1,500 feet
- Federal highway buffer
- 1,000 feet
- Alcohol-serving business buffer
- 300 feet
- License required from
- City Manager or designee
Summary
Adult entertainment establishments and sexually-oriented businesses in Palm Bay need a city license and cannot locate within 2,500 feet of a school or park, or 1,500 feet of each other.
(A) Distance restrictions. All adult entertainment establishments or sexually-oriented businesses shall not be located within: (1) Two thousand five hundred (2,500) feet of a developed public school or a private school; (2) Two thousand five hundred (2,500) feet of a developed public park; (3) One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of another adult entertainment establishment or sexually-oriented business; (4) One thousand (1,000) feet of a federal highway; (5) Three hundred (300) feet of a commercially zoned business serving alcoholic beverages for consumption on premises...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-41: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2026-13, passed 5-21-26).
Full Breakdown
Palm Bay requires a license before anyone operates an adult entertainment establishment or sexually-oriented business, issued in one of six classifications by the City Manager or a designated licensing office. Separately, the zoning code bars these businesses from locating within 2,500 feet of a developed public school or park, 1,500 feet of another such business, 1,000 feet of a federal highway, or 300 feet of a business serving alcohol on-site. Distances run in a straight line between the closest exterior walls or property lines. Existing businesses that fall outside these limits become non-conforming and lose that status if they change hands or close for 90 days.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license is unlawful and grounds for closure by court order; siting a new establishment inside the buffer zones violates the zoning distance requirements and can block licensing entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do adult businesses need a license to operate in Palm Bay?
How close can an adult business be to a school in Palm Bay?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Bay
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brevard County handle adult entertainment.