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

Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.34.110 sets the location rules. Distances are measured in a straight line from the nearest property line of the adult entertainment establishment to the nearest property line of the affected use, without regard to intervening structures. An establishment is barred in any zone other than the SI (Service Industrial) district generally located in the area of Cook Street and Hovley Lane; within 500 feet of any residential zone or district; within 200 feet of any other zone or district except the P (Public/Institutional) district, which has no separation requirement; within 500 feet of a church existing as of January 1, 1999, a school or a public park or recreational facility; on any parcel that fronts on an arterial street; and within 500 feet of any other adult entertainment establishment. A referral-only adult entertainment bureau is exempt from the location requirements. Nonconforming establishments are amortized on a 120, 90 or 60 day schedule depending on how long they have existed in the city.

Operating requires a permit under Chapter 5.89 for each place of business, and adult entertainers need their own permit (§ 5.88.030). The establishment application fee is $500 and the entertainer fee is $100, both nonrefundable. Permits expire December 31, renewal applications are due by November 30, and renewal fees are $100 and $25 (§ 5.89.030). Persons convicted of a specified criminal act are disqualified for two years after a misdemeanor and five years after a felony (§ 5.89.060). The city manager can deny, suspend or revoke a permit, and a ten-day appeal to the city clerk goes to the city council or a hearing officer (§ 5.89.090).

Operating rules in § 5.88.070 include a separate business entrance, no view into the interior from outside, a notice that minors are excluded, and a performance stage at least two feet above the floor and ten feet from patrons.