Wausau, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- City adult-oriented establishment license
- Grace period for existing businesses
- 90 days
- License expires
- June 30 annually
- Renewal deadline
- April 30
- Penalty range
- $50 to $300 per offense
- Revocation bar
- 1 year reapply; 12 months no reuse
- Adult cabarets
- Licensed separately under ch. 5.20
Summary
Wausau requires every adult bookstore, adult novelty store or adult video store to hold a City-issued adult-oriented establishment license under Wausau Municipal Code § 5.18.030 before opening, with a 90-day grace period for businesses already running when the chapter took effect, and violations draw a $50-to-$300 forfeiture.
It is a lawful purpose of the Common Council of the City to enact regulatory ordinances protecting and promoting the general welfare, health and safety of its citizens. The Common Council deems it necessary to require licensing and regulation of adult-oriented establishments, namely, adult book stores ... (a)No person, firm or corporation shall operate, conduct, maintain or own an adult-oriented establishment without first obtaining an adult-oriented establishment license, except that an adult-oriented establishment operating on the effective date of this chapter may continue to operate for a period of 90 days after said effective date without such a license. ... Upon conviction, any person found to be in violation of this chapter shall forfeit not less than $50.00 nor more than $300.00 for each offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
020); a business staying under that 50% threshold and restricting the display to an adults-only area is exempt. 20. Applicants file with the City Clerk, and the Chief of Police and Health Department review arrest and ownership records before the Public Health and Safety Committee acts within 30 days and the Clerk notifies the applicant within 60 days, with judicial review available under Wis. 050). 080). 090). 110).
Violations & Fines
Any violation of chapter 5.18, including operating without the license or breaking the booth-layout and minor-access rules, carries a forfeiture of not less than $50 nor more than $300 per offense (§ 5.18.120). A license found tied to a disqualifying conviction, false application, or chapter violation can be suspended for up to 60 days or revoked after a Public Health and Safety Committee hearing, and a revoked operator cannot reapply for one year while the premises stays barred from adult use for 12 months (§ 5.18.090).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Wausau require a special license for adult bookstores?
Are adult cabarets licensed the same way as adult bookstores in Wausau?
What are Wausau's rules for private viewing booths in adult stores?
What happens if a Wausau adult-oriented establishment's license is revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
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Adult Entertainment in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Marathon County handle adult entertainment.