Palm Beach Gardens, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- For all special regulated uses, §§ 10-71/10-72
- Spacing between uses
- 2,500 ft, § 10-101
- Spacing from alcohol/schools/churches/residential
- 1,000 ft, § 10-101
- Adult booth entranceway
- Min. 2 ft wide, 6 ft high, § 10-102
- Occupational license risk
- Revocable if unlicensed, § 10-79
Summary
Operating an adult bookstore, theater, cabaret, bathhouse, or similar special regulated use without a city license is unlawful under Code § 10-72, and § 10-101 keeps every one of those uses at least 2,500 feet from another and 1,000 feet from any bar, hotel, church, school, or residential zone.
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a business defined as a special regulated use in this article within the city unless a special regulated use shall have a currently valid regulatory license therefor. ... No adult bookstore, adult motion picture theater, adult motion picture booth, adult motel or hotel, bathhouse, modeling studio, massage shop or parlor, artist-body painting studio, pawnshop, billiard parlor, or adult cabaret shall be located within 2,500 feet, property line to property line, of any other of the aforementioned establishments. No adult bookstore, adult motion picture theater, adult motion picture booth, adult motel or hotel, bathhouse, modeling studio, massage shop or parlor, artist-body painting studio, pawnshop, billiard parlor, or adult cabaret shall be located within 1,000 feet, property line to property line, of any establishment selling beer or intoxicating liquor for consumption on the premises; hotels; motels; churches; schools; or any area zoned for residential use as defined in section 10-51.
Full Breakdown
Adult-oriented and other special regulated businesses in Palm Beach Gardens face both a licensing requirement and strict spacing rules. Section 10-72 makes it unlawful for any person to operate a business defined as a special regulated use in this article within the city unless it has a currently valid regulatory license. The special regulated uses listed in § 10-53 include adult bookstores, adult motion picture theaters and booths, adult motels and hotels, adult cabarets, bathhouses, modeling studios, massage shops or parlors, artist-body painting studios, pawnshops, and billiard parlors.
Section 10-101 then layers on distance rules: none of those uses may sit within 2,500 feet, property line to property line, of any other of the aforementioned establishments, and none may sit within 1,000 feet of a business selling beer or liquor for on-premises consumption, a hotel, a motel, a church, a school, or any area zoned residential, as those residential districts, including RR-10/20, RE, RL-2, RL-3, RM, RH, and RMH, are defined in § 10-51. Section 10-102 adds a design rule specifically for adult motion picture booths, requiring an entranceway at least two feet wide and six feet high with no door, curtain, or other obstruction.
Section 10-79 lets the city revoke or deny even a standard occupational license under § 66-36 if a special regulated use is being run on the premises without its regulatory license.
Violations & Fines
Running any special regulated use, including an adult bookstore, cabaret, or motion picture theater, without the annual regulatory license violates § 10-72 and can trigger both revocation of the business's occupational license under § 10-79 and the citywide general penalty in § 1-18, up to $500 or 60 days in jail, each day counted separately. A location that violates the 2,500-foot or 1,000-foot spacing rule in § 10-101 is a zoning noncompliance the city can enforce through code enforcement or deny at the licensing stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult bookstore or cabaret be from another one in Palm Beach Gardens?
Can an adult business locate near a school or church?
What happens if an adult business operates without the required city license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Beach Gardens
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Palm Beach County handle adult entertainment.