Pasco, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Chapter 5.20 PMC makes it unlawful to operate or maintain an adult entertainment facility in Pasco without an adult entertainment facility business license issued annually by the City Manager, and that license does not replace the general City business license required by Chapter 5.05 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. Fees for each category (facility, entertainer, waitperson, manager) are set in Chapter 3.35 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.

Location and siting of these facilities is governed separately by the zoning code at PMC Title 25, so a facility must satisfy both Chapter 5.20's licensing rules and the applicable zoning district standards before opening. The City Manager can suspend or revoke a license for cause, with an appeal procedure set out at PMC 5.20.210, and the health department can order suspensions for public health and safety violations under PMC 5.20.220.