San Antonio licenses sexually oriented businesses under San Antonio Municipal Code Chapter 21 and zones them through Unified Development Code Section 35-373, requiring annual permits, manager screening, and 1,000-foot buffers from churches, schools, parks, residences, and other SOBs.
SAMC Chapter 21 Article IX and UDC Section 35-373 implement Texas Local Government Code Chapter 243 to regulate sexually oriented businesses including adult arcades, bookstores, cabarets, and theaters. The San Antonio Police Department issues annual operator and employee permits after fingerprinting and disqualifying-offense checks. Zoning prohibits any SOB within 1,000 feet of churches, public or private schools, public parks, residential property, or another SOB. Interior layout must keep sightlines open from the manager station, ban enclosed viewing booths, and maintain a six-foot stage separation from patrons. Minors under 21 cannot enter. The Fifth Circuit upheld San Antonio's distance-based scheme under the secondary-effects doctrine. Code Enforcement and SAPD Vice handle compliance inspections.
Operating without a Chapter 21 permit, locating within 1,000 feet of a protected use, allowing performer-patron contact, admitting minors, or installing closed booths produces citations, padlock orders, license revocation, and Class A misdemeanor charges with fines up to $4,000.
See how San Antonio's adult entertainment rules stack up against other locations.
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