Business Licensing & Operations in Port St. Lucie, FL (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Port St. Lucie, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Adult entertainment establishments may open in Port St. Lucie only within the IN Industrial District, and only after the City Building, Police, Fire and Planning & Zoning departments each investigate an applicant's permit application under Sec. 113.20-113.23. Sec. 113.30 also keeps them 1,000 feet from another adult business or a church, 2,300 feet from a school or library, and 250 feet from residential land.
Adult Entertainment Permit Rules in Port St. Lucie
Significant RestrictionsPort St. Lucie Code of Ordinances § 113.30 (Permitted locations)
(a)Zoning. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, adult entertainment establishments subject to this chapter may not be permitted in any area of the city except as permitted within the IN (Industrial District) and within the provisions and conditions of this Code.(b)Distance minimums. In addition to the foregoing, an adult establishment shall not be permitted to open, operate, or be ...
Massage Establishments
A massage establishment in Port St. Lucie needs the standard local business tax receipt under Code Sec. 111.45 Category III ($134.00 a year), not an adult entertainment permit, as long as its therapists are licensed under Florida Statutes Chapter 480.
Massage Establishment Licensing in Port St. Lucie
Some RestrictionsPort St. Lucie Code of Ordinances § 111.45 (Category III); § 113.05(2)(a)
Category III. All Tax Receipts Herein: $134.00. ... Establishment (Salon, Massage, Optical & Health Care Clinic) Exception: It is an affirmative defense to an alleged violation of this Code regarding engaging in commercial physical contact or operating a commercial physical contact parlor if the alleged violator, business, or establishment can establish membership in one of the following class...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Every tattoo artist and tattoo establishment operating in Port St. Lucie must hold a City business tax receipt before opening. Sec. 111.45's Category IV schedule classifies 'Tattooist (Artist/Establishment)' at a flat $268.00 annual tax, and Sec. 111.15 makes it unlawful to engage in the trade, or to lease space to one, without first paying the tax and obtaining the receipt from the Business Tax Division.
Tattoo Business Tax Receipt in Port St. Lucie
Some RestrictionsPort St. Lucie Code of Ordinances § 111.45 (Category IV - Business Tax Schedule)
Category IV. All Tax Receipts Herein: $268.00. ALF (Assisted Living Facility) Animal Medical Facility ... Swimming Pool Tattooist (Artist/Establishment)
Tobacco Retail License
Port St. Lucie bans selling e-cigarettes or liquid nicotine to anyone under 18 and forbids self-service displays of vape products under Chapter 119 of the Code of Ordinances. Retailers must keep e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine in areas customers cannot reach, and vaping is barred anywhere indoor smoking is already prohibited under Florida's Clean Indoor Air Act.
Port St. Lucie Vape and E-Cigarette Retail Rules
Some RestrictionsPort St. Lucie Code of Ordinances § 119.21; § 119.22(a)
No person, business, retailer, or other establishment shall sell, permit to be sold, or offer for sale to any person under 18 years of age any e-cigarette with liquid nicotine within the City. ... No person, business, retailer, or other establishment engaged in the retail sale of e-cigarettes or liquid nicotine shall sell, permit to be sold, offer for sale, or display for sale e-cigarettes or l...
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand dealers in Port St. Lucie need the same city business tax receipt pawnbrokers do, but Chapter 116 layers on dealer-specific rules: a 30-day hold on every item before resale, mandatory photo-ID verification of sellers, and a ban on doing business between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., all enforced by the police department.
Secondhand Dealer Licensing in Port St. Lucie
Some RestrictionsPort St. Lucie Code of Ordinances § 116.02; § 116.07(b)(1); § 116.08(b)
Secondhand dealer means any person who is not a secondary metals recycler subject to Part II, Chapter 538, Florida Statutes, who is engaged in the business of purchasing, consigning, or trading secondhand goods or entering into title loan transactions. ... A secondhand dealer shall not sell, barter, exchange, alter, adulterate, or in any way dispose of any secondhand goods within thirty (30) ca...
Pawnbrokers
Port St. Lucie requires every pawnbroker to obtain a city business tax receipt under Code of Ordinances § 116.04 before opening for business. Chapter 116 also puts pawnbrokers on the police department's electronic reporting system for every transaction, following the holding and recordkeeping standards in Florida Statutes § 539.001(9), with inspections and misdemeanor penalties backing enforcement.
Pawnbroker Licensing Rules in Port St. Lucie
Some RestrictionsPort St. Lucie Code of Ordinances § 116.04; § 116.05(b)
Secondhand dealers, precious metals dealers, pawnbrokers, and junk dealers, shall obtain a City of Port St. Lucie business tax receipt from the city before engaging in business, as required by section 111.45, Port St. Lucie Code of Ordinances. ... A pawnbroker shall comply with the recordkeeping requirements set forth in Section 539.001(9), Florida Statutes, including but not limited to electro...
Towing Companies
A Port St. Lucie property owner can have an unauthorized vehicle towed from private property only if the tow company follows Code Section 90.03: storage within 15 miles, notice to police within 30 minutes, and posted signage. Owners who arrive before the tow is complete get their vehicle back for half the posted rate.
Non-Consent Towing Rules in Port St. Lucie
Some RestrictionsPort St. Lucie Code of Ordinances § 90.03(b)(1)a., (2), (3)
(b)The owner or lessee of real property, or any person authorized by the owner or lessee, which person may be the designated representative of a condominium association if the real property is a condominium, may cause any vehicle parked on such property without his permission to be removed by a person regularly engaged in the business of towing vehicles, without liability for the costs of remov...
Looking for St. Lucie County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Port St. Lucie city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in St. Lucie County →