Salt Lake City, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Yes, § 5.61.070
- Buffer from schools/parks/homes
- 1,000 feet
- Buffer from another SOB
- 1,000 feet
- Gateway corridor buffer
- 165 feet
- Landmark site buffer
- 330 feet
Summary
Sexually oriented businesses need a city business license and must clear a 1,000-foot buffer from schools, parks, churches, homes and daycares before they can open.
1. Required Distance From Other Uses: No sexually oriented business shall be located within a one thousand foot (1,000') radius of any place of worship, park, school, residential zoning district, residential use, or licensed child daycare center... 4. Concentration Prohibited: No sexually oriented businesses shall be allowed within a one thousand foot (1,000') radius of another sexually oriented business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Operating a sexually oriented business without a sexually oriented business license is unlawful under § 5.61.070. Separately, zoning conditions under § 21A.36.140 bar any sexually oriented business within 1,000 feet of a place of worship, park, school, residential district, residential use, or licensed daycare, within 165 feet of a designated gateway corridor, within 330 feet of a landmark site, or within 1,000 feet of another sexually oriented business. Certain expansions trigger Planning Commission conditional site plan review.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the § 5.61.070 license, or siting within a prohibited buffer zone under § 21A.36.140, is unlawful and can void the license or block occupancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a sexually oriented business locate anywhere zoned commercial?
Is a separate license needed beyond a standard business license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle adult entertainment.