Tempe, AZ Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning districts allowed
- GID and HID only
- Spacing buffer
- 1,320 feet from listed uses
- License review time
- 60 days from complete application
- Penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor, daily offense
- Licensing authority
- City Licensing Officer
Summary
Tempe requires every adult-oriented business, from adult retail stores and cabarets to video arcades, motels, theaters and nude model studios, to hold a license from the City's Licensing Officer, and confines them to the GID and HID zoning districts at least 1,320 feet from schools, churches, libraries, playgrounds, liquor bars and residential districts.
Adult-oriented businesses are allowed in the GID and HID zoning districts. No adult-oriented business shall be operated or maintained within one thousand three hundred twenty (1,320) feet from the defined provisions located in paragraphs (1) through (7) below. Measurements shall be made in a straight line in all directions, without regard to intervening structures or objects, from the nearest point on the property line of a parcel containing an adult-oriented business to the nearest point on the property line of a parcel containing the following:(1)Another adult-oriented business;(2)Child care facility;(3)Public, private or charter school;(4)A church synagogue, temple or similar religious worship building;(5)A library, a public playground, a public community building, a public recreational facility, or a private recreational facility where minors are permitted;(6)An establishment having an Arizona spirituous liquor license with any of the following classifications: Bar (Series 06); Beer and Wine Bar (Series 07) or the equivalent of such licenses; or(7)A residential district or the property line of a lot devoted to a residential use in any zoning district.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
City Code Chapter 16A, Article VI governs adult-oriented businesses. Section 16A-116 makes it unlawful to operate any of the eight classified adult businesses without a license, to operate under an unlisted name or address, to hire an unlicensed manager or provider, or to fail to display the license for patrons to see. Section 16A-117 requires a full application with photographs, fingerprints for an ARS § 41-1750 state and federal criminal history check, a scaled floor plan, and certification that the business meets the Section 16A-133 locational requirements; the Licensing Officer must mail a grant or denial within 60 days under Section 16A-125.
The Zoning and Development Code's Section 3-403 mirrors the 1,320-foot spacing rule and adds operational standards: a security plan is required, partitions between viewing booths cannot allow contact between patrons, and viewing booths must have at least one side open to a public room so occupants remain visible to staff. Section 3-403 also bans sexual encounter centers outright from every zoning district in the City. A business lawfully operating before the spacing rule took effect is grandfathered but cannot expand or relocate without full compliance.
Denials, suspensions and revocations under Section 16A-128 go to a hearing officer designated by the Financial Services Director, with a written decision due within five business days of the hearing.
Violations & Fines
Violating any requirement of Article VI, operating without a license, exceeding the 1,320-foot spacing buffer, or letting an unlicensed manager work the floor, is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Section 16A-134, punishable as provided in Section 1-7 of the City Code. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and Section 16A-135 lets the City seek injunctive relief against an unlicensed adult-oriented business as a public nuisance in addition to criminal prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can an adult-oriented business legally operate in Tempe?
What if my adult business was operating before the spacing rule applied?
Does the license cover employees too?
What is the penalty for operating without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
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