Texarkana, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License authority
- Chief of police
- Spacing requirement
- 1,000 feet from churches, schools, homes
- Businesses per building
- One only
- License term
- One year, renewable
- No license
- Declared a public nuisance
Summary
Sexually oriented businesses need a police-issued license and must sit 1,000 feet from churches, schools, parks, homes and other such businesses.
A person commits an offense if the person operates, or causes to be operated, a sexually oriented business within 1,000 feet of: (1)A church; (2)A public or private elementary or secondary school; (3)A boundary of a residential district...; (5)The property line of a lot devoted to residential use; (6)A licensed day care center; (7)A public building.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Texarkana requires a chief-of-police-issued license before anyone opens a sexually oriented business, and running one without a license is declared a public nuisance outright. The location rules are just as strict: no sexually oriented business can operate within 1,000 feet of a church, public or private school, residential district boundary, residential lot line, licensed day care, public park adjacent to a residential district, or public building, and none can locate within 1,000 feet of another sexually oriented business. Only one such business is allowed per building. Distances are measured in a straight line from the nearest property line or exterior wall, ignoring anything in between. Businesses lawfully operating before May 22, 1989 that fall short of these spacing rules get nonconforming-use status for up to three years.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license, or operating in violation of the spacing rules, is a criminal offense; each day of violation is a separate offense under the city's general penalty (Sec. 1-5), and license denial, suspension or revocation runs through the chief of police with appeal to a permit and license appeal board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a sexually oriented business open near a church or school in Texarkana?
Who issues the license for a sexually oriented business in Texarkana?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Texarkana
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