Portland, ME Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

2 of the Land Use Code, effective July 1, 2026, is the city's sole zoning control on sexually oriented businesses; Portland has no separate adult-business licensing chapter in the General Ordinances, only a cross-reference back to this zoning section. The 1,000-foot separation applies between any two adult business establishments anywhere in the city, and the 500-foot buffer applies against every residential zone boundary. Both distances are measured in a straight line, lot line to lot line, 'without regard to intervening structures or objects', meaning a hill, building, or street between the parcels does not shorten the calculation.

Subsection B bars any sexually explicit material, entertainment, or activity from being visible from the exterior of the premises, covering window displays, exterior signage imagery, and outdoor performance. Because the standard sits in Article 6's supplemental use standards, it layers on top of whatever the applicable zone's Table 6 use classification already allows or conditions, an adult business must first be a permitted or conditional use in its zone, then clear the spacing and visibility tests. A prospective operator confirms compliance during the Planning Authority's site plan and building permit review before any certificate of occupancy issues.