Thornton, CO Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

City Code § 42-581 requires a license for every sexually oriented business operating in the city and sets a 60-day window to apply after the licensing ordinance's effective date, with the business allowed to keep operating while the application is pending. Applications go to the city clerk with the identities of every owner, principal owner, and manager, each of whom is photographed and fingerprinted by the police department. Section 42-581(d)(1)k requires a straight-line survey, prepared within 30 days of filing by a state-registered land surveyor, showing the property lines of any religious institution, school, public park, public building, residential property zoned for three or more dwelling units per acre, or any other sexually oriented business located within 1,000 feet of the proposed site.

The city clerk must issue or deny the license within 60 days of acceptance (§ 42-583); grounds for denial include an underage applicant, unpaid taxes or fees, false statements, a disqualifying disapproval by an inspecting agency, or a license revoked or suspended within the previous 12 months. if they offer no live entertainment, film, or video. No one under 18 may be on the premises at all, and the age limit rises to 21 for any location offering on-site film viewing or live entertainment. Interior lighting must measure at least five foot-candles at floor level, and no member of the audience may sit or stand within three feet of a fixed performance stage.