Richardson, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Separation distance
- 1,250 ft from churches, schools, homes
- Business spacing
- 500 ft between adult businesses
- Permit
- City license; apply to police chief
- Maximum fine
- $2,000 per day, each separate
- Governing law
- Code § 12-163; Ord. 3594 (2007)
Summary
Richardson requires a city sexually oriented business license and makes it an offense to operate any adult business within 1,250 feet of a church, school, day-care, park, residential lot or district, or TABC-licensed premises, or within 500 feet of another adult business.
(b) A person commits an offense if the person operates or causes to be operated, within the city limits, a sexually oriented business within 1,250 feet of any of the following...: (1) A religious institution, church, synagogue, mosque, temple...; (2) A public or private educational facility, including, but not limited to, child day-care facilities, nursery schools, preschools, kindergarten...; (3) A boundary of a zoning district zoned for residential uses...; (4) A public park or recreational area...; (5) The property line of a lot devoted to a residential use...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 12-163 makes it an offense to operate a sexually oriented business within 1,250 feet of a religious institution, a public or private educational facility or day-care, a residential zoning district, a public park, the property line of a residential lot, a child- or family-oriented entertainment business, or a premises licensed under the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code; a second adult business may not renew within 500 feet of an existing one. Operating requires a city sexually oriented business license (Section 12-164); applications are filed with the Chief of Police, sworn and with fingerprints (Section 12-165). Adult uses are also confined to the zoning districts the comprehensive zoning ordinance allows.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license, in a prohibited district, or within a barred distance is punishable by a fine up to $2,000 under Section 12-184, with each day a separate offense; the city may also suspend or revoke the license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Richardson allow sexually oriented businesses?
What permit does a Richardson adult business need?
What is the penalty for violating the rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richardson
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