San Clemente, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Permits required
- Adult-oriented business permit plus business license
- Allowed zoning
- B.P., M-1, M-2 districts only
- Spacing
- 1,000 feet from residential/church/park/school
- Hours
- Closed 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Age limit
- 18, or 21 where liquor served
- Denial review
- Code of Civil Procedure § 1094.8
Summary
San Clemente requires a sexually oriented business to obtain both an adult-oriented business permit and a business license before opening, and it keeps such businesses at least 1,000 feet from residential zones, churches, parks, and schools under Chapter 5.12 of the Municipal Code.
No adult-oriented business shall be permitted to operate, engage in, conduct or carry on business within the City unless the owner of the business first obtains both an adult-oriented business permit and a business license from the City. ... The City Council shall issue an adult-oriented business permit if it finds that: A.The adult-oriented business shall be located in the City's B.P., M-1 or M-2 zoning districts.*B.An adult-oriented business shall not be located within one thousand (1,000) feet of any residentially zoned property or any residential use properly approved by the City.C.The adult-oriented business shall not be located within one thousand (1,000) feet of any lot upon which there is properly located a religious institution, public park or school.*
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Traffic: Supplement 30 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
020 bars anyone from operating one in the city without first securing both an adult-oriented business permit and a separate business license. , M-1, or M-2 zoning districts, and it cannot be located within 1,000 feet of any residentially zoned property or approved residential use, nor within 1,000 feet of a lot holding a religious institution, public park, or school. Distance is measured in a straight line between property lines, without regard to intervening buildings. , a uniformed security guard patrolling outside at all times the business is open, and a manager's station with unobstructed sightlines into every public viewing area.
8. The Director of Community Development may revoke the permit for false statements in the application or a sex-offense conviction tied to the business, and once revoked, no new permit may issue for the same operator for two years.
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented business without the Chapter 5.12 permit, siting one inside the 1,000-foot residential, church, park, or school buffer, or running one outside the 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. window supports revocation by the Director of Community Development and bars the same operator from a new permit for two years.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult business stay from a house in San Clemente?
What zones allow adult-oriented businesses?
Can the city revoke an adult business permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Clemente
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