Utah County, UT Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License authority
- Director of Community Development
- Spacing rule
- 500 ft from churches, schools, parks, residential zones
- Spacing from other SOBs
- 500 ft, straight-line measurement
- Hours ban
- no adult entertainment 10 pm-10 am
- License term
- expires December 31 annually
- Revocation bar
- 1 year before reapplying
Summary
Sexually oriented businesses in unincorporated Utah County need a county license, can't operate within 500 feet of churches, schools, parks, other adult businesses or residential-zoned land, and can't offer sexually oriented entertainment between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m.
It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in the unincorporated area of the County without a valid sexually oriented business license issued to such person by the Director of Community Development or designee pursuant to this chapter. ... It shall be unlawful to operate a sexually oriented business between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 10:00 A.M. ... No sexually oriented business shall operate or be established within five hundred (500) feet of any of the following: churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, or other buildings used primarily for religious worship and activities; public or private educational facilities including elementary schools, intermediate schools, and high schools; public recreation areas or facilities including parks, playgrounds, picnic areas, and athletic fields. No sexually oriented business shall operate or be established within five hundred (500) feet of a boundary of a zoning district which allows residential use as a permitted use, nor within five hundred (500) feet of any other sexually oriented business.
Full Breakdown
02, the Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance, makes it unlawful to operate an SOB in the unincorporated county without a license from the Director of Community Development, and separately requires every SOB employee to hold their own employee license, both issued after a written application filed in person at the Community Development office. The Director has 40 days from a complete filing to issue the license or a letter of intent to deny; a temporary license covers the applicant during that review. 140: no SOB may operate within 500 feet, measured straight-line, of churches, synagogues, mosques or temples; public or private elementary, intermediate, or high schools; or public recreation facilities such as parks, playgrounds and athletic fields.
The same section bars any SOB from locating within 500 feet of a residentially zoned district boundary or within 500 feet of another SOB. , though a business holding a state liquor license may keep selling liquor during those hours. Licenses expire every December 31st and must be renewed. The chapter also bans beer sale, use, or consumption on SOB premises, and the County will not provide local consent for a state liquor license at such a business.
Violations & Fines
The Director of Community Development can suspend a license up to 30 days or move to revoke it for violations including false statements on the application, allowing prostitution or controlled-substance activity on the premises, operating during a suspension, or allowing prohibited sexual activity. A licensee gets 10 business days to contest a suspension or revocation notice in writing, triggering a hearing before the County Board of License Equalization within 15 business days; once a license is revoked, the operator cannot reapply for one full year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a sexually oriented business locate near a school or church in unincorporated Utah County?
What hours can an adult business stay open?
Do employees need their own license too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Utah County
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