Pontiac, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Section 2.508 of the Pontiac Zoning Ordinance sets out a detailed purpose and findings section on the secondary effects of sexually oriented businesses before laying down the operative separation standards in Section 2.508(D)(1). Three distance rules apply at once: 500 feet from a religious institution, public or private primary or secondary school, public park, or noncommercial public assembly facility; 300 feet from any residential area or residential district, with the site also barred from being adjacent to one; and 500 feet from any other adult entertainment business.

The ordinance explains this is meant to prevent concentration, not more than two such uses within a specified distance of each other, rather than to exclude the use outright or restrict protected speech. Beyond spacing, Section 2.508(D)(2) limits exterior signage and window displays that convey specific examples of the business's activity to a single sign, subject to Planning Commission approval of any change. Section 2.508(D)(4) bars anyone from residing on the premises and requires compliance with all other federal, state, and local licensing regulations. The section's applicability clause carves out state-licensed health care facilities and practitioners, such as hospitals, chiropractors, and licensed massage therapists, from the massage parlor provisions of this section.

Pontiac's Planning Commission reviews and recommends on any special exception application for such a use, with the City Council making the final decision given the potential for the secondary effects the ordinance's findings describe at length.