Business Licensing & Operations in Orem, UT (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Orem, Utah, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Orem confines adult businesses, seminude entertainment businesses, and seminude dancing bars to zones set out in Article 20 of Chapter 22, and Code 12-7-7 bars anyone from operating any sexually oriented business without a City license. Outcall services and seminude dancing agencies are licensed but not zone-restricted. License fees run $100 to $200 a year, backed by a $2,000 bond.
Orem Sexually Oriented Business Licensing Rules
Significant RestrictionsOrem City Code 12-7-6 and 12-7-7 (Sexually Oriented Businesses)
12-7-6. Location and zoning restrictions. It is unlawful for any sexually oriented business to do business at any location within the City not zoned for such business. Sexually oriented businesses licensed as adult businesses, seminude entertainment businesses or seminude dancing bars pursuant to this chapter shall only be allowed in areas zoned for their use pursuant to Article 20 of CHAPTER 2...
Massage Establishments
Orem requires anyone operating a massage establishment to hold a City massage establishment license under Code 12-5-14, on top of state licensing under the Massage Therapy Practice Act. Applicants must be at least 21, pass background checks, and disclose prior license revocations. Three violations at one location within a year trigger a one-year licensing ban for that address.
Orem Massage Establishment License Required
Significant RestrictionsOrem City Code 12-5-14 (Massage Establishments)
B. License Required. Except as exempted under Utah Code sections 58-1-307 and 58-47b-304, it is unlawful for any person to operate, conduct, carry on, or maintain a massage establishment without a City massage establishment license. ... E. No License to be Issued at Same Location Where Three or More Violations Have Occurred for One Year. If the City Manager or the City Manager's designee has su...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Orem's zoning code does not allow standalone tattoo parlors. Appendix A's Specified Land Use Table lists SLU 6232, Tattoos and Body Piercing, as permitted only as an accessory to a licensed beauty shop (SLU 6231), and only in the C2 and C3 commercial zones. A tattoo or piercing business cannot generate more than 15% of the beauty shop's revenue and must use a three-needle or lighter method.
Orem Tattoo Shops Limited to Accessory Use
Significant RestrictionsOrem City Code, Appendix A, Specified Land Use Table (SLU 6232)
SLU 6232, Tattoos & Body Piercing: *Only as an accessory use to a beauty shop (SLU 6231) where less than 15% of the revenue of the beauty shop is derived from SLU 6232 and only using a three-needle (or less) method.
Tobacco Retail License
A retail tobacco specialty business in Orem, a shop built around vape, e-cigarette, or tobacco sales, can't sit within 1,000 feet of a school or park, 600 feet of another such shop, or 600 feet of residential or agricultural land, and the City caps the total citywide at one per 25,000 residents.
Orem Vape and Tobacco Shop Location Rules
Significant RestrictionsOrem City Code Section 22-14-21(D)
Separation Requirement. Pursuant to Utah Code Section 10-8-41.6(4), no retail tobacco specialty business may be located within: 1,000 feet of a community location; 600 feet of another retail tobacco specialty business; or 600 feet from property used or zoned for agricultural or residential use. ... No more than one retail tobacco specialty business shall be allowed for every 25,000 citizens liv...
Secondhand Dealers
Orem dealers in secondhand, junk, or antique property and precious metal must hold every item for thirty days from the date received before selling or otherwise disposing of it. Guns, jewelry, electronics, tools, and numismatic coins can never skip this hold through the low-value or buyer-ID exceptions; only written Police Department permission or a pledgor's redemption cuts the wait short.
Orem's 30-Day Hold on Secondhand Goods
Some RestrictionsOrem City Code Section 12-5-5 (Retention of property for thirty days)
Except as provided herein, it shall be unlawful for any pawnbroker or dealer to sell or otherwise dispose of any pawned, secondhand, junk or antique property or precious metal for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of receiving it. ... If the pawnbroker or dealer has purchased the item for twenty dollars ($20.00) or less. ... The exceptions contained in (4) and (5) above do not apply to...
Pawnbrokers
Before Orem issues a pawnshop or dealer business license, City Code section 12-5-5 requires the operator to post a corporate surety bond guaranteeing faithful performance of every duty in the section. Licensees, including their employees and agents, must record each transaction in ink, verify photo identification, and keep the shop closed outside a 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. window enforced by the Orem Police Department.
Orem Pawnbroker License Bond and Records
Some RestrictionsOrem City Code Section 12-5-5 (Bond required)
Before a business license is issued to a pawnbroker or dealer as defined in Section 12-1-2 of this Chapter, the applicant therefore shall execute and deliver to the City a bond, in a form acceptable to the City, in the amount determined by resolution of the City Council, executed by a corporate surety authorized to do business in the State of Utah and conditioned upon the faithful performance b...
Towing Companies
No one can run a commercial towing or parking-enforcement business in Orem without Utah Department of Transportation certification and an Orem business license, or, for companies already licensed elsewhere in Utah County, City registration. A $1,000 surety bond, liability insurance, and annual December filings with the Police Department keep the license active.
Orem Towing Company License and Bond Rules
Some RestrictionsOrem City Code Section 12-5-13(B) and (C)(1) (Certification Required; License and Parking Required)
It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in commercial towing operations within the corporate limits of the City of Orem unless the person has been certified by the Utah Department of Transportation as a towing company. The City may revoke or suspend the business license of any towing company that fails to obtain or maintain a valid state certification, or if licensed elsewhere, may suspen...
Looking for Utah County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Orem city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Utah County →