Business Licensing & Operations in Denton, TX (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Denton, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Denton allows a sexually oriented business only in the Heavy Industrial district and only with a specific use permit, and bars it from operating adjacent to an arterial street within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, day cares, parks, hospitals, residences, or another adult business.
Denton, Texas Sexually Oriented Business Permit and Location Rules
Significant RestrictionsDenton Development Code § 5.3.5.Z, ¶ 3
Location of Sexually Oriented Businesses. ... Sexually oriented businesses shall comply with the following separation requirements: a. A sexually oriented business shall not operate adjacent to an arterial street and within 1,000 feet of the following uses: i. A school, church, adult or child day care, elderly housing facility, hospital, public park or playground, residential zoning district, o...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Tattoo and body piercing parlors in Denton must hold current licensing and certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services, and the zoning code limits where these businesses can operate under the Denton Development Code.
Denton Tattoo and Body Piercing Parlor Rules
Significant RestrictionsDenton Development Code, Subchapter 5, § 5.3.5 (Tattoo and Body Piercing Parlor)
Tattoo and Body Piercing Parlor: An establishment where permanent marks, scars, or designs are made on the skin by a process of pricking and ingraining an indelible pigment or by raising scars; or in which other bodily decorations, such as piercing, are provided... Tattoo and body piercing parlors shall comply with licensing and certification requirements of the Texas Department of State Health...
Tobacco Retail License
Denton's zoning code classifies vape and e-cigarette retailers as a 'Smoke Shop' and expressly bars that use from operating as a Home-Based Business, so a vape shop must run out of a properly zoned commercial location, not a house or apartment.
Denton Restricts Vape Shops to Commercial Zones
Significant RestrictionsDenton Development Code § 5.4.4 (Prohibited Home-Based Businesses)
The following activities shall be prohibited: ... Smoke Shops as defined in Section 9.2: Definitions; and Boarding activities associated with Commercial Animal Services (Indoor) as defined in Section 9.2: Definitions.
Secondhand Dealers
Denton requires every junk dealer and secondhand dealer -- buying or selling used vehicles, tires, clothing, machines, firearms, weapons, radios or appliances -- to hold an annual license from the city secretary before operating.
Denton Secondhand Dealer License Required
Significant RestrictionsSec. 16-46.
Each and every junk dealer or secondhand dealer shall obtain an annual license to pursue such business from the city secretary.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Denton's Development Code flatly bars auto repair shops from operating as home-based businesses in any residential zoning district.
Denton Bans Home-Based Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsDenton Development Code § 5.4.4 (Home-Based Business — Prohibited Home-Based Businesses)
A Home-Based Business shall be permitted only when it is an accessory use to a legally established residential use. ... The following activities shall be prohibited: Alcohol sales; Sexually oriented businesses as defined by TLGC Section 243.002; All Industrial Uses listed in Table 5.2-A: Table of Allowed Uses; All Vehicular and Equipment Uses listed in Table 5.2-A: Table of Allowed Uses; Smoke ...
Towing Companies
Non-consent tow companies, trucks, and operators in Denton must each hold a separate annual permit from the police department before towing any vehicle without the owner's consent.
Denton Tow Company Permit Requirement
Significant RestrictionsSec. 23-83(a)
No tow service shall engage in the business of nonconsent towing of vehicles without first obtaining a permit from the city.(b)Before an annual permit is granted, the application for the annual permit must be approved by the director. The granting of an annual permit is at the discretion of the director, but will not be granted unless:(1)The proposed tow service is required by the public conven...
Looking for Denton County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Denton city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Denton County →