Sex establishments
You must have a licence if you wish to run a sex establishment. A sex establishment is:
- a sex shop - any premises selling sex toys, books or DVDs as a major part of their stock
- a sex cinema – any cinema used for a significant amount of its business to show explicit films to the public
The licensing of sex establishments is regulated under schedule three of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.
To be eligible to apply for a licence you must:
- be 18 or over
- not have been disqualified from holding a licence
- have been resident in the UK for at least six months immediately before the application
- be a registered business in the UK if applying as a corporate body
- not have been refused a licence or a renewal for the premises being applied for in the last 12 months
You will need to provide the following to apply to run a sex establishment:
- a fee of £2,255
- an area street plan
- internal layout plan of the premises
- a notice of intent to run a sex shop/establishment
You need to advertise your intentions in the local newspaper within seven days of your application being received by us.
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Documents
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