Wichita, KS Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual license fee
- $100
- Buffer distance
- 500 feet
- Buffered from
- churches, schools, parks, homes, other clubs
- Grandfather loss trigger
- 90+ days non-use
- Max penalty
- $500 fine / 90 days jail
Summary
Wichita requires a $100 annual city license for adult entertainment establishments, which must sit at least 500 feet from churches, schools, parks, homes, and each other.
No license shall be granted for an adult entertainment establishment or adult hotel which is located within five hundred feet of a church, public or parochial school, public park, residential zoning district, erotic dance studio as defined in Section 3.06.010 of this Code, or any other adult entertainment establishment or adult hotel.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
No adult entertainment establishment or adult hotel may operate in Wichita without a city council-issued license (annual fee $100). Sec. 3.05.150 bars licensing any location within 500 feet of a church, public or parochial school, public park, residential zoning district, erotic dance studio, or another adult entertainment establishment or adult hotel, measured property line to property line. Pre-existing businesses within the buffer can keep operating but lose that grandfathered status if the premises sits unused as an adult business for 90+ days.
Violations & Fines
Operating without a license, employing anyone under 18, or violating the distance/conduct rules is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine, 90 days in jail, or both (Sec. 3.05.170); the chief of police can also suspend a license up to 30 days and the city council can revoke it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must an adult business be from a school or church in Wichita?
Can an existing adult business stay if a school moves in nearby later?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wichita
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