St. Peters, MO Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Section 405.530(A) applies to adult-oriented businesses, including operations where adult material makes up a limited share of general sales area, and confines them to the standards that follow. The core rule in Subsection (A)(1) bars locating such a business within 1,000 feet of a residential use, a church, a school, a day care facility, a public library, a public park, or another adult-oriented business. The measurement method is spelled out precisely: it runs in a straight line, ignoring any intervening structures or objects, from the closest point of the parcel holding the adult-oriented business to the closest point of the parcel holding the protected use, whether that is a pre-existing school, house of worship, State-licensed day care facility, library, park, residence, or rival adult-oriented business.

Because the measurement runs parcel-to-parcel rather than building-to-building, a large residential subdivision or school campus pushes the exclusion zone out from its property line, not just its structure. Subsection (A)(2) adds an ongoing compliance mechanism: these businesses are subject to occasional inspections to verify they meet the City's ordinance standards, giving code enforcement a recurring check beyond the initial siting decision. The section sits within Title IV's zoning chapter, so a proposed location is evaluated through the City's normal zoning and building permit review before occupancy, and the Planning Department cross-checks distances against existing land uses citywide when a site plan comes in.