Business Licensing & Operations in Clovis, CA (2026)
8 verified business licensing & operations rules for Clovis, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Clovis confines adult businesses to specific mapped zones and imposes strict spacing rules: at least 500 feet from any other adult business, 1,000 feet from a school, library, park, or planned recreational facility where minors gather, and 250 feet from residentially designated land or a religious institution. Municipal Code Section 5.19.07 also requires a City permit and operator license.
Clovis Adult Business Permit and Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 5.19.07 (Locational Requirements)
Adult businesses shall be allowed only in the areas of the City identified on the map attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and incorporated herein by reference. In addition, no adult business shall be located: (1) Within five hundred feet (500') of any other adult business located either inside or outside of the City limits; (2) Within one thousand feet (1,000') of any existing school, library, park ...
Massage Establishments
Anyone operating a massage establishment or out-call massage business in Clovis needs a permit from the Chief of Police under Municipal Code Section 5.10.03, and every therapist must be CAMTC-certified. Applicants submit fingerprints, five years of address and employment history, and a criminal history disclosure, and the Chief has 60 days to approve or deny.
Clovis Massage Establishment Permit
Significant RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 5.10.03
(a) Establishment permit. It is unlawful for any owner, operator, officer, director, or managing employee of a massage establishment to operate or permit the operation of such business without a valid massage establishment permit as required by this chapter. (b) Out call massage business permit. It is unlawful for any person to provide out call massage services without a valid out call massage ...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Clovis requires a conditional use permit for tattoo parlors and body art studios, but confines the use to the C-2 Community Commercial District under Table 2-4 of the Development Code. The city also bans tattoo, piercing, and permanent-makeup businesses from operating as home occupations inside any residence, citywide, regardless of zoning.
Clovis Tattoo and Body Art Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 9.58.050(Q) (Prohibited Home Occupations)
The following list presents example commercial uses that are not subordinate to or compatible with residential activities, are suitable only in nonresidential zoning districts, and are therefore prohibited as home occupations: ... Q. Tattoo parlors, to include body piercing and permanent makeup;
Tobacco Retail License
Every tobacco retailer in Clovis, including vape and e-cigarette sellers, must hold a City-issued tobacco retailer license under Municipal Code § 5.35.03 for each fixed location, obtained within 90 days of the chapter's June 19, 2024 effective date and displayed prominently at the store.
Clovis Tobacco Retailer License Rules
Significant RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 5.35.03 (Mandatory license)
(a) Any person who is or intends to become a tobacco retailer shall obtain pursuant to this chapter a license for each fixed location at which tobacco retailing is to occur. (b) Any person who is a tobacco retailer as of the effective date of the ordinance enacting this chapter shall obtain a license within ninety (90) days of the effective date of the ordinance that enacted this chapter. (c) A...
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand dealers in Clovis must keep a written register in English of every item bought, recording the purchase date and the seller's name, age, and address, under Municipal Code Section 5.9.01. The register must be produced on demand to the Police Chief or any City officer, and refusing inspection is itself a misdemeanor under Section 5.9.02.
Clovis Secondhand Dealer Register
Some RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 5.9.01, § 5.9.02
Any person who shall buy, sell, barter, exchange, or otherwise deal in and with secondhand goods or commodities of any kind or description shall immediately enter in the English language in a register to be kept by him the date any secondhand property is purchased and an accurate description of the person from whom it is purchased, including the name, age, and place of residence of such person....
Pawnbrokers
Clovis confines pawn shops to the C-M Commercial and Light Manufacturing District, the only industrial zone where Table 2-6 lists the use as permitted by right. Every secondhand dealer, including pawnbrokers, must also keep a police-inspectable register of each purchase under Chapter 5.9, or face a misdemeanor charge.
Clovis Pawnbroker and Secondhand Dealer Rules
Significant RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code §§ 5.9.01-5.9.02 (Secondhand Goods)
§ 5.9.01. Register required. Any person who shall buy, sell, barter, exchange, or otherwise deal in and with secondhand goods or commodities of any kind or description shall immediately enter in the English language in a register to be kept by him the date any secondhand property is purchased and an accurate description of the person from whom it is purchased, including the name, age, and place...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Clovis outright prohibits vehicle repair as a home occupation. Section 9.58.050(R) bars body or mechanical repair, upholstery, detailing, and painting from residential dwellings, with a narrow carve-out for mobile minor repair or detailing performed at the customer's own location.
Clovis Bars Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 9.58.050(R)
R. Vehicle repair (body or mechanical), upholstery, automobile detailing (e.g., washing, waxing, etc.) and painting (this does not prohibit mobile minor repair or detailing at the customer's location utilizing a personal, noncommercial vehicle);
Towing Companies
Clovis dispatches police-ordered, non-consent tows strictly on a rotation basis from a list the Chief of Police maintains under the Tow Car Law, Municipal Code Chapter 5.16. A towing company must apply, pass a police investigation, and meet standing insurance, storage, and fee requirements to get and stay on that rotation list.
Clovis Police-Dispatched Tow Rotation Rules
Significant RestrictionsClovis, CA, Municipal Code § 5.16.04 (Dispatching of Tow Cars)
Except as otherwise provided in Section 5.16.05 of this chapter, the Chief of Police or his designee shall dispatch tow cars to perform tow car services only on a rotation basis from a rotation list established and maintained in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
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