San Diego regulates Sexually Oriented Businesses through SDMC Chapter 33 Article 3 and zoning code §141.0301, requiring police permits, set distances from sensitive uses, and limited zoning districts citywide.
Sexually Oriented Businesses (SOBs) including adult cabarets, bookstores, theaters, and arcades operate only in commercial and industrial zones designated by SDMC §141.0301, with mandatory separation from schools, churches, parks, day cares, and residential districts. SDMC Chapter 33 Article 3 requires a police-issued SOB Operator Permit, individual entertainer permits, and ongoing background screening. Operating hours, interior visibility, no-touch rules, and lighting standards apply per §33.0314. The 2002 ordinance was upheld as a content-neutral time-place-manner regulation under City of Renton v. Playtime Theatres. Live nude entertainment requires additional cabaret permits.
Operating without a permit, violating distance buffers, or breaching no-touch rules carries misdemeanor charges, permit revocation, daily civil penalties up to $2,500, and possible business closure under nuisance abatement.
San Diego, CA
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See how San Diego's adult entertainment rules stack up against other locations.
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