Business Licensing & Operations in Hillsborough County, FL (2026)
7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Hillsborough County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Hillsborough County bars new sexually oriented businesses within 2,000 feet of residential zoning, churches, schools, or parks, and within 500 feet of another sexually oriented business, under the Land Development Code.
Hillsborough County Adult Business Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsHillsborough County Land Development Code § 2.02.06
No sexually oriented business may be established within 2,000 feet of any area zoned for residential use, including, but not limited to, residential portions of C-U, PD, or U-C zoning districts, nor within 2,000 feet of any church, child care facility, or public recreation area, nor within 2,500 feet from an public or private school. These distance requirements a...
Massage Establishments
Sec. 10-656(a) requires a separate county permit for every bathhouse or massage establishment location and for every individual bathhouse or massage technician working in unincorporated Hillsborough County. Applicants must pass a criminal-history review, submit photo ID and fingerprint-style background checks, and complete a human-trafficking and prostitution awareness course before the Code Enforcement Department will issue a permit.
Hillsborough County Massage Establishment Permits
Significant RestrictionsSec. 10-656(a), Hillsborough County Code of Ordinances, Part A
(a) Permits required. A separate permit shall be required for the following: (1) Any bathhouse location; (2) Any bathhouse technician; (3) Any massage establishment location; or (4) Any massage technician.
Tobacco Retail License
Businesses in Hillsborough County that sell vapor-generating devices or vapor products must check government-issued ID and cannot sell to anyone under 21, with mandatory point-of-sale age signage.
Vape Retail Age Verification: Hillsborough County
Some RestrictionsHillsborough County Code of Ordinances, Part A, Sec. 10-729(a)
It shall be a violation of this article for any business or its employee, agent, or representative (seller) operating within Hillsborough County to sell, give, barter, furnish, or deliver any vapor-generating electronic device, or any vapor product used in such device to a person under 21 years of age. Seller must require the purchaser to produce a government issued identification card (dri...
Secondhand Dealers
Secondhand dealers, pawn-style flea market merchants, and precious-metals buyers in unincorporated Hillsborough County must log every transaction electronically with the Sheriff's Office and hold goods 30 days before resale.
Secondhand Dealer Rules: Hillsborough County
Some RestrictionsHillsborough County Code of Ordinances, Part A, Sec. 10-311(b)
A secondhand dealer shall maintain a legible electronic record, in the English language, of all transactions to which such secondhand dealer is a party involving secondhand goods. Such electronic format shall be specified by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and promulgated by way of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Secondhand Dealer Data Specifications. It shall be the respo...
Pawnbrokers
Every pawnbroker in unincorporated Hillsborough County must hold a business tax receipt from the County Tax Collector before opening, at $337.50 per place of business. The receipt is issued only on written application, must stay displayed where the public can see it, and expires each September 30 regardless of when it was purchased.
Hillsborough County Pawnbroker Business Tax
Some RestrictionsHillsborough County Code of Ordinances, Part A, Sec. 46-197(a)
Every person engaged in the business of pawnbroker shall pay a business tax of $337.50 for each place of business. (Ord. No. 95-4, § 39.01, 5-22-1995)
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Hillsborough County lets residents repair their own vehicles at home as an accessory use, but most work must move indoors once it goes past fluids, spark plugs and tires, and body work or painting is banned outright.
Hillsborough County Home Vehicle Repair Rules
Significant RestrictionsHillsborough County Land Development Code Sec. 6.11.83.
A. The repair and/or maintenance of domestic vehicles, private pleasure craft, recreational vehicles and hobby vehicles shall be a permitted accessory use of residentially developed properties subject to the following restrictions: 1. Repairs and maintenance performed outdoors or in partially enclosed structures shall be limited to the changing and reple...
Towing Companies
Non-consensual private towing from real property in Hillsborough County is capped at Board-set maximum rates and requires posted tow-away signage; operators who skip the required signage can charge only $1.00 total under Sec. 50-142.
Hillsborough County Non-Consent Towing Rules
Some RestrictionsSec. 50-142.
any person who shall provide non-consensual private towing services with respect to the removal of any vehicle located on real property shall be entitled to charge a total fee for all such services no greater than $1.00 if the following notice requirements have not been met: (1) Notice on real property. a. The owner or custodian of the real property must post notice of tha...
Business Licensing & Operations by City in Hillsborough County
1 cities in Hillsborough County have their own business licensing & operations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Hillsborough County ordinances
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