Pasco, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Facility license fee
- $700.00 annually
- Entertainer/waitperson/manager fee
- $150.00 each annually
- Late renewal penalty
- 50% of license fee
- Maximum penalty
- $5,000 fine / 364 days jail
- Issuing authority
- City Manager
- Siting rule
- Governed separately by PMC Title 25 zoning
Summary
Pasco requires a separate annual adult entertainment facility business license from the City Manager before any adult cabaret, arcade or similar business can operate, on top of the standard business license. Entertainers, waitpersons and managers each need their own annual license, and advertising an unlicensed facility is itself unlawful.
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or maintain an adult entertainment facility in the City unless the owner or operator thereof has obtained from the City Manager a license to do so. Such license shall be designated an "adult entertainment facility business license" and shall be issued on an annual basis. This license is not intended to be exclusive of other applicable licenses and the general City business license requirements of Chapter 5.05 PMC.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4837, passed May 4, 2026).
Full Breakdown
05 PMC. Every entertainer, waitperson and manager must independently hold a separate license, an adult entertainer's license, adult waitperson's license, or adult business manager's license, and a person performing more than one of those roles needs a separate license for each function. It is also unlawful to advertise the services of any adult entertainment facility or entertainer that is not licensed. 35 PMC; the current fee schedule lists $700 for the facility license and $150 each for entertainer, waitperson and business manager licenses. Applications go to the City Manager on City-supplied forms, require notarized or perjury-certified information, and unpaid renewals draw a penalty equal to 50 percent of the license fee for late applicants who were previously licensed. 20's licensing rules and the applicable zoning district standards before opening. 220.
Violations & Fines
Operating, working at, or knowingly permitting operation of an unlicensed adult entertainment facility, or advertising one without a license, is a gross misdemeanor under PMC 5.20.270, punishable by a fine up to $5,000, imprisonment up to 364 days, or both. Each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense, and violators also face license suspension or revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pasco's general business license cover an adult entertainment facility?
Can an entertainer work at more than one licensed club without a new license?
What happens if a facility operates without a license in Pasco?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasco
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