Surprise, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Sexually oriented business license, § 26-137
- Manager permit
- Separate permit required, § 26-139
- Operating hours ban
- 1:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Stage rule
- 18 inches high, 3 feet from patrons
- Age limit
- Under-18 cannot observe or provide
- Review period
- Director has 45 days to decide
Summary
Surprise requires anyone operating or working at an adult service business, cabaret, or adult video facility to hold a sexually oriented business license or manager permit under City Code § 26-137. Section 26-143 bars adult services between 1:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., requires providers to perform on a raised, barricaded stage, and bans touching between employees and patrons.
(a)No person shall operate a sexually oriented business without a valid sexually oriented business license, issued by the city for the particular type of business. (Sec. 26-143)(a)An adult service business, an adult service provider, and a manager, employee or patron of an adult service business shall comply with the following operating requirements:...(4)A person may not provide an adult service in an adult service business except upon a stage elevated at least 18 inches above floor level. All parts of the stage, or a clearly designated area thereof within which the adult service is provided, shall be a distance of at least three feet from all parts or a clearly designated area in which patrons may be present. The stage or designated area thereof shall be separated from the area in which patrons may be located by a barrier or railing the top of which is at least three feet above floor level.(6)Adult services may not be provided between the hours of 1:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 26, Article V regulates sexually oriented businesses, defined to include adult bookstores, adult video facilities, and adult service businesses such as strip clubs and cabarets. Section 26-137 requires a valid sexually oriented business license before operating, tied to a specific business name and address, with a separate license required for each additional location; a manager cannot work on the premises without a separate sexually oriented business manager permit under § 26-139. Applicants must file in person with the director (the city manager or delegate), pay the fee set under § 26-150, and submit to photographing and fingerprinting under § 26-138; officers, general partners, and anyone with certain criminal, drug, or prostitution convictions in the past three years must be disclosed.
The director has 45 days to issue or deny a license application and 30 days to convert a temporary manager permit into a regular one, per § 26-141. ; a manager must be on-site at all times a service is provided; and neither employees nor patrons may touch the other's breasts, buttocks, or genitals, nor may a patron place money on an employee's body or costume. Adult video facilities face parallel rules under § 26-144, including minimum lighting and open, hole-free viewing booths.
Violations & Fines
Operating a sexually oriented business or working as a manager without the required license or permit, exceeding the 1:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew, or allowing prohibited touching between an employee and a patron violates § 26-143 and can lead to license or permit revocation under § 26-146, denial of a new license, or criminal enforcement, consistent with the article's stated purpose of curbing prostitution, drug activity, and disease transmission tied to unregulated operation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours are adult entertainment businesses closed in Surprise?
Does a Surprise strip club need a special license?
Can patrons touch performers at a Surprise adult service business?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Surprise
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