Chatham County, GA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required for
- Adult bookstores, media outlets, movie houses
- Zoning
- Commercial/industrial districts only (§16-207)
- Spacing buffer
- 200 yards from churches, schools, parks, homes
- Background check
- Police Chief certificate required (§16-205(7))
- Max penalty
- $500 fine / 30 days jail (§16-220)
Summary
Chatham County requires an annual license before any adult bookstore, explicit media outlet, or adult movie house can operate in the unincorporated county, and bars these businesses from locating within 200 yards of a church, school, park, hospital, or private residence. Applicants must also pass a Chatham County Police Department background check.
All businesses required to be licensed under this ordinance shall be licensed to do business only in areas zoned for commercial or industrial purposes. The location of the business shall not be within 200 yards of any church, synagogue, or other religious houses of worship, Christian book store, public park, public housing project, hospital, any school, college, recreation center, or private residence. Said businesses regulated herein are hereby prohibited from operating at any location that does not conform to the requirements of this ordinance.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 16-202 defines an adult bookstore, explicit media outlet, and adult movie house by reference to sexually explicit nudity and sexual conduct, and Sec. 16-203 requires each to hold a separate annual business license under the county's Occupational Tax Ordinance before opening, with adult bookstores further barred from selling regulated material to anyone under 18 or letting a minor onto the premises. Sec. 16-205 lays out licensing criteria: the applicant's moral character, whether the site is zoned commercial or industrial, traffic impacts, effects on surrounding property values, and precautions against minors and obscene material.
The applicant must also attach a Chief of Police certificate confirming no criminal convictions, a diagram of mechanical and electrical equipment used on site, and any codes needed to decipher scrambled media. Sec. 16-206 requires a separate license for each regulated business operated in the same building. Sec. 16-207 confines these businesses to commercial or industrial zoning and bars them from operating within 200 yards of any church, synagogue, Christian book store, public park, public housing project, hospital, school, college, recreation center, or private residence, prohibiting operation anywhere that fails to conform.
Sec. 16-208 requires good moral character and no criminal convictions, and Sec. 16-209 treats sales or admission to minors as a public nuisance subject to injunction.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 16-220 fines anyone violating this licensing chapter, including operating without a license or inside the 200-yard buffer, up to $500 or up to 30 days in the County Jail, or both, plus costs, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. Sec. 16-209 additionally lets the county enjoin a business as a public nuisance for selling to minors, admitting minors, or selling obscene materials.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an adult bookstore open anywhere in Chatham County?
What background check does Chatham County require for an adult business license?
Can minors enter an adult bookstore in Chatham County?
What's the penalty for operating an unlicensed adult business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chatham County
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