Shoreline, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Licenses required
- operator, entertainer, manager, § 5.10.020
- Off-stage dance distance
- 4 feet forehead to forehead, § 5.10.070(A)(6)
- Stage setback
- 8 feet from patrons, 18-in elevation
- Operating hours
- closed 2:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m., § 5.10.070(D)
- Suspension escalation
- 30 days, then 90 days, then revocation
- Violation penalty
- misdemeanor plus nuisance action, § 5.10.110/.120
Summary
The City of Shoreline requires separate licenses for adult cabaret operators, entertainers, and managers before any sexually oriented dance venue can open, under SMC § 5.10.020. Entertainers off the stage must keep at least four feet between their own and a customer's forehead during any performance (§ 5.10.070(A)(6)), and cabarets must close between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. (§ 5.10.070(D)).
§ 5.10.020. License required. ... A. It is unlawful for any person to conduct or operate an adult cabaret unless such person has been issued a valid and current adult cabaret operator’s license from the city to do so, obtained in the manner provided in this chapter. B. It is unlawful for any entertainer to perform in an adult cabaret unless such person has been issued a valid and current license from the city to do so. C. It is unlawful for any manager to work in an adult cabaret unless such person has been issued a valid and current license from the city to do so. ... ... § 5.10.070. Standards of conduct and operation. ... ... 6. No employee or entertainer mingling with members of the public shall conduct any dance, performance or exhibition in or about the nonstage area of the adult cabaret unless that dance, performance or exhibition is performed at a distance of no less than four feet, measured from the forehead of the entertainer to the forehead of the customer paying for the dance, performance, or exhibition. ... ... D. It is unlawful for any adult cabaret to be operated or otherwise open to the public between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Full Breakdown
Shoreline's adult cabaret chapter, SMC §§ 5.10.005 through 5.10.140, requires three separate city licenses before any sexually oriented dance business can operate: an operator's license for the business itself, and individual licenses for every entertainer and manager who works there (§ 5.10.020). No license issues to anyone under 21 (18 where no liquor is served), to a felon or certain other convicted applicants, or to a business whose premises fail fire, building, or zoning codes (§ 5.10.030). On the stage, performers must stay at least 18 inches above floor level and at least eight feet from the nearest patron, behind a three-foot railing (§ 5.10.070(C)(2)).
Off the stage, table and lap dances must keep at least four feet between the entertainer's and the customer's foreheads, and tips cannot be handed to a performer mid-dance except into a receptacle (§ 5.10.070(A)(6), (7)). A licensed manager must be on duty at all times entertainment is offered and must visually observe every performance area (§ 5.10.070(B)(5), (7)). Cabarets must stay closed between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. (§ 5.10.070(D)), and no photograph or depiction of nudity from inside may be visible outside the building (§ 5.10.070(B)(2)).
A first violation draws a 30-day license suspension, a second within 24 months draws 90 days, and a third or later violation within 24 months results in revocation (§ 5.10.090(A)). Any violation of the chapter is a misdemeanor (§ 5.10.110), and the city attorney can additionally sue to abate an offending cabaret as a public and moral nuisance under Chapter 7.48A RCW (§ 5.10.120).
Violations & Fines
Operating, performing, or managing without the required license, breaching the four-foot table-dance distance or eight-foot stage setback, staying open past 2:00 a.m., or accepting a tip mid-performance are each unlawful under SMC § 5.10.020 and § 5.10.070. A first violation draws a 30-day license suspension, a second within 24 months draws 90 days, and a third within 24 months means revocation (§ 5.10.090); every violation is also a misdemeanor under § 5.10.110.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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