Business Licensing & Operations in Lawrence, KS (2026)
5 verified business licensing & operations rules for Lawrence, Kansas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
In the City of Lawrence, running a sex shop, or any of the sexually oriented nonentertainment businesses the code lists, without a city-issued sex shop license is unlawful, and so is knowingly working at an unlicensed one. Separately, most other adult business types, like massage shops and adult movie theaters, are banned outright.
Sex Shop and Adult Business Licensing in Lawrence
Significant RestrictionsLawrence City Code § 6-202
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to operate or maintain a sex shop in the city unless the owner, operator or lessee thereof has obtained a sex shop license from the city, or to operate such business after such license has been revoked or suspended by the city.(b)It shall be unlawful for any employee, manager, operator or owner to knowingly perform any work or service directly related to t...
Massage Establishments
The City of Lawrence does not license massage parlors as standalone businesses; instead, chapter 6, article XIX requires every individual massage therapist and bodywork practitioner to hold a city clerk-issued license, and it bars any bodywork business from employing an unlicensed practitioner. Businesses must also keep an on-site register of every practitioner's name, address, and license number.
Lawrence Bodywork Practitioner Licensing
Significant RestrictionsLawrence City Code §§ 6-1903(b), 6-1905
(b)No person, corporation, association, or other entity, however organized, shall employ a bodywork practitioner, as herein defined, within the city if such applicant for employment has not first obtained from the city clerk a bodywork practitioner license. ... Every bodywork business shall keep at its place of business a current, clean and legible register showing all bodywork practitioners pr...
Tobacco Retail License
In the City of Lawrence, no store, gas station, or kiosk may sell tobacco or vape products without a tobacco retail license from Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health (L-DCPH). Lawrence City Code §§ 9-1003 and 9-1004 fold electronic smoking devices into the licensed "tobacco product" definition and make selling without a license unlawful for every location.
Lawrence Requires a Tobacco and Vape Retail License
Significant RestrictionsLawrence City Code §§ 9-1003, 9-1004
Tobacco product means: (a)Any product containing, made of, or derived from tobacco or nicotine that is intended for human consumption or is likely to be consumed, whether inhaled, absorbed, or ingested by any other means, including, but not limited to, a cigarette, a cigar, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus;(b)Any electronic smoking device and any substances that may be aerosolized ...
Secondhand Dealers
In the City of Lawrence, anyone who buys jewelry, bullion, coins, or silverware for resale must register with the chief of police, keep a detailed handwritten purchase register for every item bought, and hold a Type P, T, or D valuable property dealer license.
Lawrence, KS Valuable Property Dealer License
Significant RestrictionsLawrence City Code §§ 6-1001, 6-1004
Valuable property means any jewelry, bullion, coins, silverware. Valuable property dealer means any person who buys for selling purposes or who advertises in any way for the purchase of jewelry, bullion, coins, silverware. ... It shall be the duty of every valuable property dealer to: (a)Register with the chief of police and thereby obtain a license to operate as such;(b)Keep at the place of bu...
Pawnbrokers
In the City of Lawrence, no one may open or keep running a pawnshop without first obtaining a city pawnbroker license, and every application must disclose the owners, the business address, operating hours, and proof of a valid state revenue-department registration under K.S.A. § 79-3608.
Pawnbroker Licensing Requirements in Lawrence
Significant RestrictionsLawrence City Code § 6-502
No person shall engage or continue in business as a pawnbroker without first obtaining a license therefor. Application for such license shall be in writing and shall state the full name and place of residence of the applicant; or if the applicant be a partnership, of each member thereof; or if a corporation or association, of each officer, shareholder or member thereof, together with the addres...