Southaven, MS Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed zoning
- M-1 and M-2 districts only
- Spacing
- 1,500 feet from worship, schools, parks, residences, medical facilities, other such businesses
- Annual fees
- $1200 operator; $50 employee (Sec. 8-257)
- Decision deadline
- Director acts within 30 days of a completed application
- Hours
- Closed 11:00 P.M. to 11:00 A.M.; closed Sundays and legal holidays
- Age limit
- Under 21 barred from entry, employment, and operator license
Summary
In the City of Southaven, Sec. 8-264 allows sexually oriented businesses only in the M-1 and M-2 zoning districts and only if 1,500 feet from churches, schools, parks, residential lots, medical facilities and other such businesses. Operators pay a $1200 annual license fee and employees $50 under Sec. 8-257.
Sexually oriented businesses shall be permitted in M-1 and M-2 zoning districts provided that: (1)The sexually oriented business may not be operated within:a.One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or building which is used primarily for religious worship and related religious activities;b.One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of a public or private educational facility including but not limited to child day care facilities, nursery schools, preschools, ... c.One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of a park or recreational area which is used for park or recreational activities including but not limited to a park, playground, ... d.One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of the property line of a lot zoned for residential use and devoted to a residential use as defined in the zoning code;e.One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of the property line of a lot used for a private or public medical facility; orf.One thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of another sexually oriented business.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 8-264 confines sexually oriented businesses to the M-1 and M-2 zoning districts and then adds a 1,500 foot spacing test. The business cannot operate within 1,500 feet of a place of worship, a public or private school or child day care facility, a park or recreational area, the property line of a lot zoned and used residentially, the property line of a public or private medical facility, or another sexually oriented business. Under Sec. 8-264(3) distance is measured in a straight line, without regard to intervening structures, from the nearest portion of the building used as part of the premises to the nearest property line or boundary. Sec. 8-264(2) bars two classified businesses from sharing a building or portion of one.
Licensing is a separate track. Sec. 8-255 makes it a misdemeanor to operate without an operator's license or to employ or work without an employee license, both issued by the director of planning. Sec. 8-257 sets the annual fee at $1200 for an operator and $50 for an employee, new or renewal. An operator applicant must supply a professionally prepared floor diagram, and Sec. 8-255(g)(8) requires a surveyor's certificate and drawing prepared within thirty (30) days before the application showing every use within 1,500 feet. Under Sec. 8-256(d) the director approves or denies within thirty (30) days, and an applicant under twenty-one (21) is denied. A denied applicant appeals to the board of aldermen by written notice to the city clerk within ten (10) days, and the board votes within twenty-one (21) calendar days.
Operating rules follow the license. Sec. 8-277 bars operation between 11:00 P.M. and 11:00 A.M. on weekdays and Saturdays and all day Sunday and legal holidays, except that an adult motel is exempt from the hours. Sec. 8-273 allows one primary sign of up to seventy-five (75) square feet and one secondary sign of up to twenty (20) square feet. Sec. 8-266 lets a business that violated the location rules on the chapter's effective date continue for a period not to exceed two years.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 8-255(a) makes unlicensed operation or employment a misdemeanor. Operating without a valid operator's license, or in violation of Sec. 8-264, exposes the operator to an injunction suit as well as criminal prosecution, and each day of operation is a separate offense under Sec. 8-280. The director suspends a license for up to thirty (30) days for a violation of the chapter and revokes it for one (1) year when a second cause arises within twelve (12) months (Secs. 8-260, 8-261). Refusing an inspection is a misdemeanor under Sec. 8-258.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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