Taunton, MA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Section 440-713 of the Taunton Zoning Ordinance defines adult entertainment uses to include adult bookstores, adult motion-picture theaters, adult paraphernalia stores, adult video stores, and adult live entertainment, cross-referenced to the definitions in § 440-201. An adult entertainment use is confined to Industrial Districts and requires a special permit from the Municipal Council, following all procedures of Article III of the Zoning Ordinance and MGL c. 40A, § 9A. The section builds in a criminal-history screen: special permits cannot be granted to anyone convicted under MGL c.

119, § 63 or MGL c. 272, § 28, and that prohibition reaches beyond the applicant to any manager, legal owner, or person or entity holding a fee, equity, or security interest, including members of any corporation, partnership, or trust with a beneficial interest, all of whom must be listed on the application. Location is further restricted by a 750-foot buffer measured from five categories of use: any residential zone, meaning the Urban Residential, Suburban Residential, or Rural Residential Districts; any public or private school; any open space zone or public park; any child-care facility or nursery school; and any church or other religious facility or institution.

Taken together, the Industrial District confinement and the five-way 750-foot buffer sharply narrow where an adult entertainment business can legally operate in Taunton, and the Municipal Council's special permit process gives elected officials, not just planning staff, final say on each application.