Wichita Falls, TX Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Separation distance
- 1,000 feet from sensitive uses
- Permit
- Conditional use permit required
- Issuing authority
- Director of community development
- Maximum fine
- $2,000 per day
- Code sections
- Zoning Code 5510-5560
Summary
Sexually oriented businesses in Wichita Falls must stay 1,000 feet from churches, schools, homes, parks, military training installations, and each other, and cannot open without a conditional use permit issued by the community development director.
5510 - Distance Separation Required. A person commits an offense if he operates or causes to be operated within 1,000 feet of a church, a public or private elementary or secondary school, a United States military installation which contains a training school for armed forces members, a residential dwelling unit in which one or more persons maintain a residence, a public park, or another business of a type hereinafter enumerated in this section... 5560 - Conditional Use Permit Required. No person shall operate a business of the type described in section 5510 without a conditional use permit authorizing such operation.
Full Breakdown
Wichita Falls Zoning Code section 5510 makes it an offense to operate an adult bookstore, adult motion picture theater, adult arcade, adult motel, adult theater, escort agency, nude-modeling business, or a bar featuring nude live performances within 1,000 feet of a church, public or private elementary or secondary school, public park, military training installation, residence, or another such business. Distances run in a straight line, building-to-building or to the nearest property line. Section 5560 requires a conditional use permit issued by the director of community development for a council-approved fee. Each day of violation is a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Each day, or portion of a day, that a sexually oriented business operates without a conditional use permit or inside the 1,000-foot buffer is a separate offense fined up to $2,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult business be from a school or church in Wichita Falls?
Do you need a permit to open a sexually oriented business in Wichita Falls?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wichita Falls
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Wichita Falls to another location·View the Texas business licensing & operations overview
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