Story County, IA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Spacing buffer
- 1,320 feet from schools, day cares, churches, parks, homes
- Building openings
- Must be covered from public right-of-way view
- Permitted districts
- HI Heavy Industrial and GB-C Greenbelt-Conservation only
- Permit type
- Conditional use permit (Table 90-1)
- First offense fine
- Up to $750 (Section 93.03)
Summary
In unincorporated Story County, a sexually oriented business, meaning adult bookstores, adult theaters, encounter centers, or cabarets, cannot locate within 1,320 feet of another such business, or of a school, licensed day care, church, park, or any residential district or dwelling. The county also requires every entry and window covered so nothing inside is visible from the public right-of-way.
“Sexually oriented business” includes, but is not limited to, adult motion picture theaters, hotels, encounter centers, video arcades, stores, or cabarets. A video arcade, motion picture theater, store or other use is adult if it has at least 50 percent of its stock in books, magazines or other periodicals, paraphernalia, or other materials or goods that depict, describe, or are used for specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas. ... Adult Bookstores and Adult Establishments or Cabarets. These uses shall not be located within 1,320 feet of each other, or any public or parochial school, licensed day care facility, church, public park, planned residential land use, residential district or any dwelling (measurements shall be from property line to property line). All building openings (entries, windows) shall be covered in a way to prevent view into the interior of the building from any public right-of-way.
Full Breakdown
08 to include adult motion picture theaters, hotels, encounter centers, video arcades, stores, or cabarets. A store, arcade, or theater qualifies as adult if at least half its stock consists of books, magazines, periodicals, paraphernalia, or other materials or goods depicting or describing specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas, and an adult cabaret is one whose live entertainment emphasizes exhibiting those same activities or areas for patrons. 08(7). Those supplemental standards set the county's spacing rule: an adult bookstore or adult establishment or cabaret cannot locate within 1,320 feet of another such use, or of any public or parochial school, licensed day care facility, church, public park, planned residential land use, residential district, or dwelling, with distance measured property line to property line.
The same subsection requires every building opening, including entries and windows, to be covered so no one can see into the interior from any public right-of-way. Because these uses are conditional rather than by-right, an applicant must also go through the Board of Adjustment's conditional use permit process in Chapter 90, including the standard notice, hearing, and approval-criteria review that applies to any conditional use in the county.
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented business without the required conditional use permit, inside the 1,320-foot spacing buffer, or with uncovered building openings is enforced as a Land Development Regulations infraction under Chapter 93. The Planning and Development Office investigates a complaint, issues a written Notice of Violation with 30 days to correct the problem or submit a compliance schedule, and can then issue a citation carrying civil penalties up to $750 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for each repeat offense, with each day of continued violation a separate infraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult business be from a school or residential area in Story County?
What zoning districts allow a sexually oriented business?
Are there building design requirements beyond the distance rule?
What happens if a sexually oriented business opens without meeting these standards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Story County
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