Parma, OH Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Adult entertainment business license, Sec. 701.04
- Operating unlicensed
- 2nd-degree misdemeanor, up to $750 and 90 days
- Employee license
- Separate license required for every employee
- Buffer distance
- 200 feet from churches, schools, parks, homes
- One per building
- Only one adult business per building/tenant space
- Inspections
- Up to 4 inspections per year, Sec. 701.11
- License term
- Expires annually; renew 21-90 days before expiry
Summary
Parma requires anyone operating an adult arcade, bookstore, cabaret, theater, nude model studio, sex store, or sexual encounter center to hold a City-issued adult entertainment business license under Codified Ordinances Chapter 701, and every on-site employee must separately hold an employee license. Operating without one is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to $750 and 90 days in jail, and the City also enforces a 200-foot buffer from churches, schools, parks, and residential districts.
701.04 ADULT ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS LICENSE REQUIRED.
(a) No person shall:
(1) Operate an adult entertainment business without a valid adult entertainment business license issued by the City pursuant to this chapter. ... (b) Any person who violates division (a)(1) above shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree and shall be fined not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00) or imprisoned not more than 90 days, or both, for each offense. 701.19 REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO THE LOCATION OF ADULT ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESSES. (b) No adult entertainment business may be established within 200 feet of: (1) A church, synagogue, mosque, temple or building which is used primarily for the religious worship and related religious activities. ... (3) A boundary of a residential district as shown on the Zoning Map ... (d) No adult entertainment business may be established, operated or enlarged within 200 feet of another adult entertainment business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-30: Local legislation current to August 3, 2026 | State legislation current to June 25, 2025).
Full Breakdown
Parma's Chapter 701 creates a standalone licensing scheme for adult arcades, adult bookstores or media stores, adult cabarets, adult motion picture theaters, adult theaters, nude model studios, sex stores, and sexual encounter centers. 04 bars operating any of these without a City-issued adult entertainment business license, and separately bars retaining an unlicensed worker as an employee. 00 or imprisoned not more than 90 days, or both, for each offense; using an unlicensed employee is a separate ground for license suspension. 05. 11. 14. 19 bars establishing an adult entertainment business within 200 feet of a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple; a school, day care, preschool, or other educational facility; a residential zoning district boundary or nonconforming residential lot; a public park or recreational area; or another adult entertainment business, and it caps each building or tenant space at one such business with no floor-area increase once a second use is present. Site design, parking, and signage additionally follow the City's Zoning Code chapters (1170, 1181, 1185, 1196, 1197, and 1199).
Violations & Fines
Operating an adult entertainment business without a license is a misdemeanor of the second degree, fined up to $750.00 or up to 90 days in jail, or both, under Section 701.04(b). Using an unlicensed worker as an employee exposes the license itself to suspension. The City can suspend a license for up to 30 days for any chapter violation under Section 701.13, and repeated suspension causes within 12 months support outright revocation under Section 701.14.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do adult entertainment employees need their own license in Parma?
How close can an adult entertainment business be to a school or church in Parma?
How often does Parma inspect licensed adult entertainment businesses?
Can two adult entertainment businesses operate in the same Parma building?
Sources & Official References
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