Business Licensing & Operations in Alachua County, FL (2026)
5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Alachua County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Alachua County confines sexually oriented businesses, cabarets, theaters, sex shops, and media stores, to the BH, BA, and BA-1 zoning districts as a limited use. Sec. 404.67 imposes strict buffers: 1,000 feet from any other sexually oriented business, and 500 to 750 feet from residential land, schools, churches, parks, and libraries, on top of interior design and lighting rules.
Sexually Oriented Business Zoning Rules in Alachua County
Significant RestrictionsAlachua County Code § 404.67
Sexually oriented businesses are allowed as limited uses in the BH, BA, and BA-1 districts, including but not limited to a sexually oriented media store, subject to the following standards. Sex shops and sexually oriented theatres or cabarets are allowed in the BA or BA-1 districts, subject to the following standards. (a) Separation requirements for sexually oriented businesses. (1) Generally. ...
Massage Establishments
Alachua County allows a massage therapist or massage establishment as a limited use in the AP, BP, BR, BR-1, BH, BA, BA-1, and BW districts, but County Code § 404.47 layers a local licensing-posting duty on top of state law: every establishment and every therapist must hold a Florida Board of Massage Therapy license, and copies must stay posted on-premises.
Massage Establishment Licensing Rules (Alachua County, FL)
Some RestrictionsAlachua County Code § 404.47(a)-(b)
(a)Licensing.(1)The establishment shall be licensed by the Board of Massage Therapy in accordance with the Florida Massage Therapy Practice Act, as codified at F.S. § 480.031 et seq.(2)Any massage therapists shall be licensed by the Board of Massage Therapy.(3)A massage therapist shall maintain posted on-premises copies of the licenses of the therapists who provide services at the establishment...
Secondhand Dealers
Alachua County requires anyone buying, selling or dealing in secondhand jewelry, precious metals, coins or similar goods, including pawnshops, to register with the county sheriff, log every purchase for three years, and hold each item 15 days before resale.
Secondhand Dealer Registration (Alachua County)
Some RestrictionsAlachua County Code § 62.02
Sec. 62.02. Registration required. No person shall engage in, manage, conduct or carry on the business described in section 62.01 without first registering with the sheriff of the county. The person desiring to engage in such business shall inform the sheriff of his name and home address, the name under which he shall operate the business, and the address of the business.
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Alachua County treats a home-based vehicle-repair operation as two rules colliding: home-based businesses may only park and store commercial vehicles, heavy equipment, and trailers under § 404.62(c)(2), while actual vehicle repair, tune-ups, brakes, body work, engine work, is a separate use confined by § 404.79 to the MS and MP industrial districts by right and the BA/BA-1 commercial districts as a limited use, inside an enclosed structure.
Home-Based Vehicle Repair Limits (Alachua County, FL)
Significant RestrictionsAlachua County Code §§ 404.62(c)(2), 404.79
[Sec. 404.62(c)(2)] Vehicle storage. The home-based business shall be limited to the parking and storage of commercial vehicles, heavy equipment, and trailers on the premises, in accordance with the standards for parking of trucks, trailers, and other non-recreational vehicles in Subsection 404.82.5(a) of this Chapter. For purposes of this paragraph, the term "heavy equipment" means commercial,...
Towing Companies
Alachua County Code § 51.395 caps what a towing company may charge for nonconsensual tows and storage originating in unincorporated Alachua County, setting maximum base rates, mileage, hourly, and storage fees by vehicle class. Charging above the cap is a violation enforceable by law enforcement and code enforcement citation.
Non-Consent Towing Rate Caps in Alachua County
Some RestrictionsAlachua County Code § 51.395(a)(1), (g)
The following maximum rates, applicable until the same are changed by resolution of the board, are to be charged for nonconsensual towing on property when the point of origin of the tow is within the unincorporated area of the county... (1)Class A vehicles (gross vehicle weight through 10,000 pounds or vehicle carrying a vessel 15 feet or less in height): .....a.Rotation tow base rate .....$150...
Business Licensing & Operations by City in Alachua County
1 cities in Alachua County have their own business licensing & operations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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