Snohomish County, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Chapter 6.25 SCC governs any business where entertainers display or expose the breast below the top of the areola or the pubic region, anus, buttocks, vulva, or genitals: that display is prima facie evidence the business is an adult entertainment dance studio (SCC 6.25.040). Operating one without a license issued by the licensing authority is unlawful under SCC 6.25.030, and every manager and adult entertainer must separately hold a manager's or adult entertainer's license under SCC 6.25.080. Applicants for the studio license must disclose prior adult-entertainment licenses held anywhere, criminal convictions from the past five years, a scale floor plan marking performance areas, seating, and the manager's station, and every person with a financial interest in the business (SCC 6.25.050).

The Sheriff, health officer, fire marshal, and department of planning and development services each review the application and must report compliance within 25 days before the license can issue; no license goes to anyone under 18. Once issued, a license expires December 31 of the year it was granted and is not transferable. Operating rules under SCC 6.25.110 close the studio between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., bar admission to anyone under 18, forbid alcohol or controlled substances on the premises, and require the license be posted during business hours.

Performance areas must sit on a stage at least 18 inches above the floor and 6 feet from the nearest patron seating, separated by a railing 3 to 5 feet high (SCC 6.25.115). A required sign at least two feet square must list entertainment prices and post statutory conduct restrictions. Manager or adult entertainer licenses issued under SCC 6.25.090 also expire December 31 and are location-specific; a change of employer requires reissuance.