Woodland, CA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)

Woodland Municipal Code § 17.84.040 regulates adult bookstores, adult motion picture theaters, adult hotels, bathhouses, modeling studios, nude dancing theaters, and sexual encounter centers as 'adult entertainment' uses. Subsection B, Location, requires that adult entertainment establishments be permitted only on the rear half of a lot, and imposes cumulative spacing buffers: at least 500 feet from religious institutions, schools, parks and recreation facilities, community centers, libraries, youth organizations, and day care centers; at least 750 feet from any Residential, Downtown, Mixed-Use, or Public/Open Space zone; and at least 1,000 feet from any other adult bookstore or adult motion picture theater.

Because these distances are cumulative rather than alternative, a parcel must clear every buffer simultaneously to qualify. Subsection C makes it unlawful to operate an adult entertainment business without an establishment permit issued by the Chief of Police, who must act within 60 days of a complete application and can deny the permit for building, health, fire, or planning code noncompliance or if personnel have relevant criminal convictions under Penal Code §§ 266i, 314-318, or 647(b). Nude dancers separately need an individual permit under subsections F through H.

Beyond the police permit, subsection U requires a Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Commission under § 17.100.100, which reviews building height, site, yard, and parking compliance and may condition approval on a fence or, if a specific problem is shown, restricted hours of operation. Permits renew annually between June 1 and June 15 and can be revoked or suspended by the Chief of Police for violations, appealable to the City Council within 10 days. Subsection S makes any violation an infraction punishable by a fine up to $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second within a year, and $250 for each further offense, with every day of violation a separate offense.