Tigard, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Spacing distance
- 500 feet from six listed uses and zones
- Protected uses
- Residential zone, schools, day care, hospital, library, park, religious facility
- Hours of operation
- 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Window screening
- Windows less than 7 feet from ground covered or screened
- Sound
- Any sound audible outside the structure is prohibited
- Penalty
- Class 1 civil infraction, up to $250 per day
Summary
In the City of Tigard, Oregon, adult entertainment uses are prohibited within 500 feet of residential zones, schools, day care centers, hospitals, public libraries, public parks and religious facilities. Hours are limited to 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Tigard Municipal Code § 18.320.070 adds window, door and sound rules.
A. Adult Entertainment uses are prohibited within 500 feet of any: 1. Residential zone, 2. Public or private primary, elementary, junior, middle, or high school, 3. Day care or hospital, 4. Public library, 5. Public park, or 6. Religious facility. B. Hours of operation are limited to between 10 a.m. and 1 a.m. C. Windows less than 7 feet from the ground must be covered or screened such that sales areas and merchandise are not visible from public sidewalks. D. Doors and windows must be closed at all times except for normal ingress and egress. E. Any sound transmitted by any means that is audible outside the structure containing the use is prohibited.
Full Breakdown
Tigard Municipal Code § 18.320.070 holds the extra standards for adult entertainment uses in the City of Tigard, Washington County, Oregon. The section sits in Chapter 18.320, Commercial Zone Development Standards, which applies to nonresidential and mixed-use development in the COM, MUC, MUE, and MUR zones. Under § 18.320.030 that development needs a site development review application, except where a conditional use or planned development application is required or proposed.
The use category is defined in § 18.60.060.A: adult entertainment covers uses characterized or distinguished by an emphasis on matters depicting specified sexual activities or anatomical areas. Printed examples are adult motion picture theaters, adult book stores, and topless, bottomless, and nude taverns and dance halls, with parking as an accessory use. Chapter 18.30 separately defines adult bookstore, adult motion picture theater, specified anatomical areas and specified sexual activities.
The spacing rule lists six protected uses, each carrying a 500 foot prohibition: any residential zone; a public or private primary, elementary, junior, middle, or high school; a day care or hospital; a public library; a public park; and a religious facility. Four operating standards follow. Hours of operation are limited to between 10 a.m. and 1 a.m. Windows less than 7 feet from the ground must be covered or screened so sales areas and merchandise are not visible from public sidewalks. Doors and windows must be closed at all times except for normal ingress and egress. Any sound transmitted by any means that is audible outside the structure containing the use is prohibited.
Beaverton, Tualatin, Lake Oswego, King City, Durham and unincorporated Washington County areas such as Bull Mountain and Metzger are separate jurisdictions, so these standards bind only sites inside the City of Tigard.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 18.320.070 violates Title 18, which § 18.20.040 declares unlawful. Each violation of a separate provision is a separate infraction, and each day a violation continues is another infraction. The violation is a nuisance and a Class I Civil Infraction under Title 6, and § 1.16.640 caps a Class 1 civil penalty at $250 per day. Responsible parties include the owner, the occupant and whoever created the condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult entertainment use be from a school in the City of Tigard?
What hours can an adult entertainment business operate in Tigard?
Can sales areas and merchandise be visible from the sidewalk?
What penalty applies if a business breaks these standards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tigard
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