Yakima, WA Business Licensing & Operations: Adult Entertainment (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Yes, annual, from code administration
- Zoning district allowed
- M-1 (light industrial) only
- School/park/church buffer
- 800 feet
- Similar-use buffer
- 1,500 feet
Summary
Yakima requires a city license to operate adult entertainment, confines the use to the M-1 zone, and bars it within 800 to 1,500 feet of schools, parks or similar uses.
It is unlawful for a person to own, conduct or operate an adult entertainment establishment unless such establishment is licensed as provided in this chapter. The annual fee for an adult entertainment establishment license and renewal shall be included in the city of Yakima master fee schedule adopted by city council via resolution. The license shall expire one year from the date of its issuance. In addition, a nonrefundable application fee as listed in the city of Yakima master fee schedule adopted by city council via resolution must be paid at the time of filing an application in order to defray the costs of processing the application.
1. All applications for an adult entertainment establishment license shall be submitted to the code administration manager in the name of the person or entity proposing to conduct an adult entertainment business on the business premises and shall be signed by such person and certified as true under penalty of perjury. All applications shall be submitted on a form supplied by the city, and shall be complete when the following information and submittals are provided:
a. For each applicant: names; any aliases or previous names; driver’s license number, if any; Social Security number, if any; business, mailing, and residential address; and business and residential telephone number.
b.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4980636; v1 updated 2026-08-03; through 08-03-2026).
Full Breakdown
Operating an adult entertainment establishment in Yakima without a city license is unlawful; the license, plus separate manager and entertainer licenses, is issued annually and reviewed by the police chief. Zoning confines adult business uses to the M-1 light-industrial district and bars any parcel within 800 feet of a school, day care, church, park, library, residential zone, or an adjacent city's boundary, and within 1,500 feet of another adult entertainment use. Operation is also barred between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Violations & Fines
Unlicensed operation is unlawful and subject to prosecution and license denial/revocation for up to a year; siting outside the M-1 district or inside a spacing buffer is a zoning violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an adult entertainment business open anywhere in Yakima?
What hours can a Yakima adult entertainment business operate?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima
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