Business Licensing & Operations in Dubuque, IA (2026)
5 verified business licensing & operations rules for Dubuque, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Dubuque requires anyone operating an adult entertainment establishment, or working as an employee inside one, to hold a City Manager-issued license under City Code chapter 4-8. The license costs $100 initially with a $50 annual renewal, closes the business between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., and can be suspended or revoked for prostitution, obscenity, or underage patrons on the premises.
Dubuque Adult Entertainment Establishment License Rules
Significant RestrictionsDubuque City Code §§ 4-8-3, 4-8-5, 4-8-12
A. Business License: ... It shall be unlawful for any person to operate an adult entertainment establishment in the city without a valid adult entertainment establishment license. ... The initial license and annual renewal fees for adult entertainment establishment licenses and adult entertainment establishment employee licenses shall be as follows: a) one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the init...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Dubuque does not run its own tattoo ordinance. City Code § 6-1-1 instead adopts Iowa Code chapter 135.37 and Iowa Administrative Code 641-22 by reference, so a tattoo artist or studio in the city gets permitted, inspected, and disciplined entirely under the state tattooing permit program the Iowa Department of Public Health administers.
Dubuque Tattooing Regulated Under State Code
Light RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 6-1-1
There is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference Iowa Code chapter 135.37, "tattooing - permit required - penalty", as amended, and Iowa administrative code chapter 641-22, "practice of tattooing", adopted by the Iowa department of public health, revised January 15, 2003, which applies to sanitation and infection control, equipment, procedures, application for permit, the permit process, v...
Secondhand Dealers
Dubuque requires anyone who buys or takes in used goods for resale, from bicycles and electronics to firearms and jewelry, to hold a secondhand dealer license under Dubuque City Code § 4-6A-3. Licensed dealers must upload a full report of every transaction to the city's electronic reporting system by the end of each business day under § 4-6A-11.
Dubuque Secondhand Dealer License
Significant RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 4-6A-1; § 4-6A-11
SECONDHAND DEALER: ... Any person who purchases or receives used goods or materials for the purpose of resale including, but not limited to: Bicycles. ... Firearms. Jewelry. ... Precious metals in the form of bullion or ingots. ... Nonprofit corporations and businesses which are not primarily engaged in the sale of secondhand goods are exempt from this article. ... Pawnbrokers and secondhand de...
Pawnbrokers
The City of Dubuque requires a pawnbroker license under Dubuque City Code § 4-6A-3 before making loans or advances secured by pawned, pledged or deposited personal property. The City Clerk issues the license after a police background investigation, and pawnbrokers taking property on a return agreement must post a bond the city manager sets under § 4-6A-7.
Dubuque Pawnbroker License
Significant RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 4-6A-1; § 4-6A-3
PAWNBROKER: ... Any person who makes loans or advancements upon pawn, pledge, or deposit of personal property, who receives actual possession of personal property as security for a loan, with or without a mortgage or bill of sale, who receives actual possession of property for resale, or otherwise holds himself or herself out as a pawnbroker. ... ... A. License Required; Application: No person ...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
The City of Dubuque prohibits automobile repair as a home based business under UDC section 16-7-1-3, with one narrow carve-out: a resident may service their own vehicle at home if the general home-business conditions in section 16-7-1-1 are met and no repair work happens between 9:00 PM and 9:00 AM. Running a repair shop for customers, or repairing vehicles you don't own, is barred outright.
Dubuque Home Auto Repair Limits
Heavy RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 16-7-1-3
16-7-1-3: PROHIBITED HOME BASED BUSINESS USES: The following uses shall be specifically prohibited as home based businesses: Antique/furniture refinishing for resale on the premises or as a service for the general public. Automobile repair, except that an individual residing on the premises may service such individual's own vehicle, providing that the provisions of section 16-7-1-1 of this chap...