Palm Springs, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Yes, from Finance and Treasury Director
- Buffer distance
- 600 feet from parks, schools, day cares, churches
- Allowed zones
- C-M, M-1, M-1-P, M-2 only
- Hours restriction
- Closed 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. (except sex venues)
- Age limits
- 18+ if no liquor, 21+ if liquor served
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine and 6 months jail
Summary
Palm Springs requires every adult-oriented business to hold a city business license before opening, and the Finance and Treasury Director can only issue one if the site sits at least 600 feet from parks, schools, day cares, youth centers and active religious institutions. Businesses are also restricted to the C-M, M-1, M-1-P and M-2 zones and barred from operating between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
No adult-oriented business shall be permitted to operate, engage in, conduct or carry on business within the city unless the owner of the business first obtains a business license from the city of Palm Springs. ... The adult-oriented business shall not be located ... within 600 feet of any lot upon which there is properly located a public park, public playground, school, day care/childcare center, or youth center or within 600 feet of any lot used by a religious institution for religious activities at least three times per week.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
010 to cover adult entertainment establishments, adult retail stores, adult sex venues and businesses built around sexually-oriented material, merchandise or stripping, to obtain a business license from the city before operating. 025 lists the findings the Finance and Treasury Director must make before issuing that license within 30 days of a complete application: the use must sit in the C-M, M-1, M-1-P or M-2 zoning districts, not be adjacent to a residential zone, and not be located within 600 feet of a public park, playground, school, day care or youth center, or within 600 feet of a lot used by a religious institution for services at least three times a week, measured in a straight line between property lines.
The business also cannot front a major or secondary thoroughfare, cannot sit adjacent to another adult-oriented business, must meet the zone's parking and sign standards, cannot operate from a mobile structure or pushcart, and cannot offer massage, tattooing, acupressure or escort services on site. Adult entertainment establishments and adult sex venues must submit a police-approved security plan. Admission is barred to anyone under 18 where no liquor is served, and under 21 where it is. under subsection (a)(15). 045 for false application statements or a qualifying sex-offense conviction.
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult-oriented business without a license, or violating any Section 5.77.025 finding such as the 600-foot buffer or the zoning restriction, is a misdemeanor under Section 5.77.050, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. The city attorney can also pursue civil abatement as a public nuisance, and the director can automatically suspend a license pending revocation if two or more drug overdoses occur at the business within 12 months, or if an owner or employee is arrested for human trafficking or prostitution-related offenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an adult business open anywhere in Palm Springs?
How far must an adult business be from a school or park in Palm Springs?
What happens if an adult-oriented business in Palm Springs operates without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Springs to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
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How other cities in Riverside County handle adult entertainment.