Business Licensing & Operations in Hercules, CA (2026)
4 verified business licensing & operations rules for Hercules, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Hercules bars adult-oriented entertainment businesses within 300 feet of any residential zone, within 1,000 feet of another adult business, and within 1,000 feet of a park, school, library, or religious institution, and forces them to close between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. under Sec. 4-16.03. Operating in violation is a misdemeanor and a declared public nuisance the City can sue to shut down.
Hercules Adult Business Location Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsHercules Municipal Code Chapter 16, §§ 4-16.01–4-16.06
(a) Adult oriented entertainment businesses are prohibited from the following: (1) Operating within three hundred (300) feet of the boundary of a residential zoning district or mixed use residential zoning district: (2) Operating within a radius of one thousand (1,000) feet of any other adult oriented entertainment business; (3) Operating within a radius of one thousand (1,000) feet of any publ...
Massage Establishments
Hercules requires a Chief of Police permit for every massage parlor and masseur under Municipal Code Section 4-9.03, bars parlors within 300 feet of a residential zone or 1,000 feet of another parlor or a school, park or library, and closes them between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Hercules Massage Parlor Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsHercules Municipal Code Sec. 4-9.12(m)-(n)
(m) No massage parlor shall be kept open for business and no massage establishment licensee shall administer any massages or other treatment between the hours of 10:00 p.m. of one day and 7:00 a.m. of the following day. (n) No massage parlor shall be established at any location which is: (1) Within three hundred (300) feet of the boundary of a residential zoning district. (2) Within a radius of...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Hercules bans visible major vehicle or boat repair in residential yards unless the work happens inside a fully enclosed garage or behind a six-foot screening fence with the gate closed, caps it at two vehicles under repair at once, and confines even routine maintenance to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends.
Hercules Home Auto and Boat Repair Limits
Some RestrictionsHercules Municipal Code Chapter 11, §§ 4-11.02–4-11.11
Except as otherwise provided in this Chapter, no person shall be authorized to perform major repairs in public view in a residential district unless: (a) Such person is the lawful resident of the property where the major repair is being performed; and (b) The vehicle or boat under repair, and all parts thereof, are located in a fully enclosed garage, or building, or behind a six-foot (6') fence...
Towing Companies
Hercules lets a property owner or police officer tow any vehicle parked without consent on private property, but only if the lot is posted with a 22-by-17-inch sign in one-inch letters listing the Department of Public Safety Services phone number. The towing garage holds a lien for towage and storage costs, and whoever ordered a wrongful tow pays the bill instead of the vehicle's owner.
Hercules Non-Consent Towing From Private Property
Some RestrictionsHercules Municipal Code Chapter 6, §§ 4-6.01–4-6.08
It is unlawful for any person to park a motor vehicle upon any private property, or upon property used for private parking purposes, without the consent of the owner of such property, the person entitled to the possession thereof for the time being or the authorized agent of either, provided that signs specifying conditions under which parking is permitted or prohibited shall have been posted i...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Hercules city rules.
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