Business Licensing & Operations in Jacksonville, FL (2026)
6 verified business licensing & operations rules for Jacksonville, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Jacksonville requires a Sheriff's Office license for every adult bookstore, theater, or entertainment establishment and blocks new sites within 1,000 feet of another such facility, a school, or a church, or within 500 feet of a residential district or a bar.
Jacksonville Adult Business License & Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsJacksonville Ordinance Code § 656.1103(a)
No adult entertainment or service facility shall be located on a site unless the site equals or exceeds all of the distance limitations required by this subsection:(1)One thousand feet from the boundary of another adult entertainment or services facility.(2)Five hundred feet from the boundary of a residential district.(3)One thousand feet from an established school or church.(4)Five hundred fee...
Massage Establishments
Anyone giving massages for pay in Jacksonville must hold a Florida massage therapist license, and Ordinance Code Chapter 198 bars paid massage services between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Jacksonville Massage License & Hours Rule
Some RestrictionsJacksonville, FL Ordinance Code §§ 198.102, 198.103
It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in or offer to engage in the massage of another for compensation unless the person giving the massage is licensed by the State pursuant to F.S. Tit. XXXII, and the massage is related to the profession for which the person giving the massage is licensed... Massages by massage therapists, for compensation, shall not be given or offered between the hou...
Secondhand Dealers
Junk dealers, junk gatherers, and secondhand dealers in Jacksonville must hold a Sheriff-issued permit before doing business, renewed annually by September 30.
Jacksonville Secondhand & Junk Dealer Permits
Significant RestrictionsJacksonville Ordinance Code § 185.102
No person shall engage in any of the businesses regulated by this Chapter without a permit from the Sheriff. Permits shall be issued upon application stating: (a) The name and age of the applicant or, in the case of a business entity, the names and ages of its principals and officers; (b) The type of permit desired and the location of the business; and (c) Such other information as is required ...
Pawnbrokers
Pawnbrokers in Jacksonville need a Sheriff-issued permit, annual renewal, and detailed transaction records subject to inspection anytime.
Jacksonville Pawnbroker Permit Requirements
Significant RestrictionsJacksonville Ordinance Code § 200.102
No person shall engage in any of the businesses regulated by this Chapter without a permit from the Sheriff. Permits shall be issued upon application stating: (a) The name and age of the applicant, or in the case of a business entity, the names and ages of its principals and officers; (b) The type of permit desired and the location of the business; and (c) Such other information as is required ...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Jacksonville's home-occupation standard bars customers from calling at the house and bans working out of a detached garage or carport, so a paid auto-repair business can't legally run from a residential driveway or garage.
Jacksonville Home-Based Auto Repair Business Rules
Significant RestrictionsJacksonville Ordinance Code § 656.401(n)(1)(iv),(viii),(ix)
No one shall call upon the premises in connection with the home occupation for such purposes as retail or wholesale sales, services negotiations, contractual agreements, etc.; no traffic shall be generated by the home occupation...No home occupation shall be conducted in an accessory building or structure which is not attached to and part of the principal structure or an open porch or carport.....
Towing Companies
Jacksonville bars a towing-storage operator from removing a trespass vehicle or vessel from private property for pay until the property owner and the operator sign a written agreement naming a storage site within ten miles of the tow. The operator files that agreement with the Sheriff's Office Vehicle Storage and Recovery Unit before the first tow, and each tow then needs an owner-side signature on the spot.
Jacksonville Private Property Towing Agreement Rules
Significant RestrictionsJacksonville Ordinance Code Sec. 804.1303(a)-(b)
Prior to the towing or storage of any trespass vehicles or trespass vessels from private property for compensation pursuant to this Part, the property owner of the real property and the towing-storage operator shall have executed a written agreement which shall at a minimum contain the following provisions: ... Said storage site shall be located within a ten-mile radius from where the tow origi...