Ridgecrest, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required from
- Director of finance
- Site plan approval
- Required from planning commission
- Minimum age
- 18 years
- Allowed zone
- CG Commercial only, conditional use
- Unlicensed operation
- Separate offense each day
Summary
Ridgecrest requires a director-of-finance license and planning commission site-plan approval before opening an adult bookstore, theater, arcade, cabaret, or similar business.
No person shall own, operate, conduct or maintain any adult entertainment business without first obtaining from the director of finance a license for such adult entertainment business. ... the director of finance shall grant and issue an appropriate license under this section when the director of finance receives from the city planning commission a written approval of a site plan for the operation of an adult use as defined by chapter 106.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 6).
Full Breakdown
No one may own, operate, or maintain an adult entertainment business in Ridgecrest, including an adult bookstore, adult theater, adult motion picture arcade, cabaret, model studio, or sexual encounter center, without first obtaining a license from the director of finance (§ 9-231). The license issues only after the city planning commission approves a written site plan for the location as an 'adult use' under the zoning code (§ 9-233), and applicants must be at least 18 (§ 9-232). Under the zoning code, adult entertainment is a conditional use permitted only in the CG General Commercial District (§ 106-327).
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license is a separate offense for each day it continues (§ 9-231); the city council may suspend or revoke a license for fraud, misrepresentation, or gambling, liquor, or nuisance violations on the premises (§ 9-236).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an adult entertainment business open anywhere in Ridgecrest?
Do adult businesses need a special license beyond a standard business license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ridgecrest
California rules heatmap·Compare Ridgecrest to another location·View the California business licensing & operations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Kern County handle adult entertainment.