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Washington, DC Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Grandfather cutoff
December 15, 1993
Spacing between clubs
600 feet minimum
Spacing from housing
600 feet from residential building
Ward 5 CN transfers
barred since Jan. 1, 2013
Enforcing agency
ABC Board / ABRA

Summary

In Washington, D.C., only businesses that already offered nude dancing before December 15, 1993 may hold a nude-dancing license today, and those grandfathered licenses cannot be transferred within 600 feet of another nude-dancing establishment or a residential building.

...no license shall be transferred to any premises which is located: (1) Six hundred feet or less from another licensee operating under § 25-371(b); and (2) Six hundred feet from a building with a certificate of occupancy for residential use or a lot or building with a permit from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for residential construction at the premises.

View official code

Full Breakdown

The D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has capped nude dancing licenses since 1993: under D.C. Code § 25-371, no ABC licensee may permit nude dancers unless the establishment regularly offered nude dancing before December 15, 1993. Those grandfathered licenses can relocate only within the Central Business District or their existing CM/M-zoned district, and § 25-374 bars any transfer to a site within 600 feet of another nude-dancing licensee or a residential building. Class CN licenses with a nude-dancing endorsement also cannot move into Ward 5. The Board has said the spacing rule exists to prevent overconcentration of strip clubs in one area.

Violations & Fines

Operating nude dancing without a grandfathered license, or transferring a licensed location in violation of the 600-foot spacing rule, is grounds for the ABC Board to deny the transfer or revoke the license.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a new adult club get a nude-dancing license in D.C. today?
No. Only establishments that regularly offered nude dancing before December 15, 1993 may hold that license; no new nude-dancing licenses are issued.
How far must a nude-dancing club stay from another one?
A transferred license cannot be located 600 feet or less from another licensee operating under § 25-371(b), per D.C. Code § 25-374(a).

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Washington

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All Washington rules

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