Osceola County, FL Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Division 3 of the adult entertainment article, Sec. 13-98 and 13-99, bans any adult bookstore, adult theater or adult dancing establishment from operating or enlarging within 500 feet of a preexisting adult entertainment establishment, religious institution, educational institution, area zoned for residential use, park, or business that sells alcohol for on-premises consumption; the 500 feet is measured in a straight line between the closest property lines. On top of the spacing rule, Sec. 13-98(b) confines every adult entertainment establishment to the industrial general (IG) zoning district county-wide.

Before opening, an operator must get a license under Sec. 13-86, choosing a single classification (adult bookstore, adult theater or adult dancing establishment), and file a sworn application under Sec. 13-87 disclosing ownership, any prior license suspensions or revocations, a site plan showing property lines, entrances, stages and booths, and consenting to a law-enforcement background check. Planning and zoning must sign off on comprehensive-plan and zoning compliance within 14 working days, and the licensing department must grant or deny the completed application within 90 working days; if it misses that deadline, the applicant can begin operating under a 'constructive' license.

Annual license fees run $750 for an adult bookstore or adult dancing establishment, $750 for an adult motel, and a per-booth or per-seat schedule for adult theaters (Sec. 13-91). A license can be suspended for a building, fire, health or zoning violation not corrected within 7 days, or revoked outright for false information on the application or a pattern of repeat convictions, with revocation barring the same location or licensee from a new adult entertainment license for two years (Sec. 13-95, 13-96). An aggrieved applicant or licensee can appeal a final licensing decision only by petition for writ of certiorari to the circuit court under Sec. 13-97.