Business Licensing & Operations in Tonawanda, NY (2026)
3 verified business licensing & operations rules for Tonawanda, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Adult use establishments in the Town of Tonawanda are confined to lots of two acres or larger and must sit at least 500 feet from churches, schools, day-care centers, homes, parks, and municipal boundaries, and 1,000 feet from any other adult use, under Town Code § 215-24.5.
Tonawanda Adult Use Zoning and Spacing
Significant RestrictionsTown of Tonawanda Code § 215-24.5
General requirements. ... All adult uses shall: ... Be permitted only on lots of two acres or more. ... Not be established or maintained within 500 feet of: A ... church, synagogue or regular place of worship. ... A residence, or the boundary of any residential zoning district. ... A municipal boundary. ... Not be established or maintained within 1,000 feet of another adult use. ... Registratio...
Secondhand Dealers
Anyone who buys, sells, stores or deals in junk, secondhand materials or used goods in the Town of Tonawanda, outside the Village of Kenmore, needs a written permit from the Town Clerk before opening. Town Board Local Law adopted July 15, 1974 covers junk shops, scrap dealers and secondhand-materials buyers under Chapter 121. The annual license costs $200 and expires every December 31.
Junk & Secondhand Dealer Licensing in Tonawanda
Some RestrictionsTown of Tonawanda Code §§ 121-3, 121-8
No person, firm or corporation shall engage in or carry on a retail or wholesale business of buying, selling, storing, collecting, distributing or dealing in any of the materials named in § 121-1 of this chapter, nor conduct what is commonly known as a "junk shop," without first procuring a written permit from the Town Clerk of the Town of Tonawanda or such other officer of said town as may be ...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
The Town of Tonawanda's home-occupation rule, Code § 215-24.13.C, bans vehicle sales, service or repair as a home business outright, grouping it with retail stores, medical or emergency services and animal-care services as uses incompatible with a residential neighborhood. A resident who wants to fix cars for pay must find a properly zoned commercial location.
Home-Based Auto Repair Ban in Tonawanda
Heavy RestrictionsTown of Tonawanda Code § 215-24.13.C
C. Prohibited occupations. Prohibited home occupations include those that would generate adverse impacts to or are incompatible with the existing character of a residential neighborhood. These uses include, but are not limited to, retail stores, medical or emergency services, animal care services, and vehicle sales, service, or repair, dancing instruction, instrument instruction in groups, tear...
Looking for Erie County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tonawanda city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Erie County →