(A) Purpose and intent.
(1) Studies conducted by the State Attorney General, the American Planning Association, and cities such as St. Paul; Indianapolis; Alexandria, Minnesota; Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Seattle, Washington; have studied the impacts that adult establishments have in those communities. These studies have concluded that adult establishments have an adverse impact on the surrounding neighborhoods. Those impacts include increased crime rates, lower property values, increased transiency, neighborhood blight and potential health risks. Based on these studies and findings, the City Council concludes the following.
(a) Adult establishments have adverse secondary impacts of the types set forth above.
(b) The adverse impacts caused by adult establishments tend to diminish if adult establishments are governed by locational requirements, licensing requirements, and health requirements.
(c) It is not the intent of the City Council to prohibit adult establishments from having a reasonable opportunity to locate in the city.
(d) M.S. § 462.357, as it may be amended from time to time, allows the city to adopt regulations to promote the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare.
(e) The public health, safety, morals, and general welfare will be promoted by the city adopting regulations governing adult establishments.
(f) Sexually oriented businesses can contribute to an increase in criminal activity in the area in which such businesses are located, taxing city crime-prevention programs and law enforcement services.
(g) Sexually oriented businesses can be used as fronts for prostitution and other criminal activity. The experience of other cities indicates that the proper management and operation of such businesses can, however, minimize this risk, provided the owners and operators of such facilities are regulated by licensing or other procedures.
(h) Sexually oriented businesses can increase the risk of exposure to communicable diseases including, but not limited to, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) for which currently there is no cure. Experiences of other cities indicate that such businesses can facilitate the spread of communicable diseases by virtue of the design and use of the premises, thereby endangering not only the patrons of such establishments but also the general public.
(i) Sexually oriented businesses can cause or contribute to public health problems by the presence of live adult entertainment in conjunction with food and/or drink and alcohol use on the same premises.
(j) The risk of criminal activity and/or public health problems can be minimized through a licensing and regulatory scheme as prescribed herein.
(2) It is the purpose of this section to regulate adult-oriented businesses to promote the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the citizens of the city and to establish reasonable and uniform regulations to:
(a) Prevent additional criminal activity within the city;
(b) Prevent deterioration of neighborhoods and its consequent adverse effect on real estate values of properties within the neighborhood;
(c) To locate adult oriented businesses away from residential areas, schools, churches, and parks and playgrounds; and
(d) Prevent concentration of adult-oriented businesses within certain areas of the city.
(3) The provisions of this section have neither the purpose nor effect of imposing a limitation or restriction on the content of any communicative materials, including adult oriented materials. Similarly, it is neither the intent nor effect of this section to restrict or deny access by adults to adult oriented materials protected by the First Amendment or to deny access by distributors and exhibitors of adult oriented entertainment to their intended market.
(B) Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ADULT BOOK AND/OR MEDIA STORE. An establishment which excludes minors and which has a substantial portion of its stock in trade or stock on display books, magazines, films, videotape, or other media, which are characterized by their emphasis on matter depicting, describing, or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
ADULT CABARET. An establishment which provides dancing or other live entertainment, if such establishment excludes minors by virtue of age from all or part of the establishment and if such dancing or other live entertainment in distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on the performance, depiction, or description of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
ADULT ESTABLISHMENT. Any business which offers its patrons services, entertainment, or the sale of merchandise characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, exposing, describing, discussion, or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas. Specifically included in the term, but without limitation, are adult book and media stores, adult cabarets, adult hotels or motels, adult mini-motion picture theaters, adult modeling studios, adult motion picture arcades, adult motion picture theaters, adult novelty businesses, and other establishments.
ADULT HOTEL OR MOTEL. A hotel or motel from which minors are specifically excluded from patronage and wherein material is presented which is distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing, or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
ADULT MINI-MOTION PICTURE THEATER.
(a) A theater in an enclosed building, from which minors are excluded from all or part of the establishment, with a capacity for less than 50 persons used for presenting motion pictures, including but not limited to film and videotape, having as a dominant theme material distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing, or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
(b) Any business which presents motion pictures, from which minors are excluded from all or part of the establishment, including films and videotapes, having as a dominant theme material distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing, or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas, for viewing on the premises, including, but not limited to, private booths, viewing by means of coin operated or other mechanical devices, and the viewing of excerpts of motion pictures offered for sale or rent.
ADULT MODELING STUDIO. An establishment, which excludes minors from all or part of the establishment, whose major business is the provision, to customers, of figure models who are so provided with the intent of providing sexual stimulation to sexual gratification to such customers and who engage in specified sexual activities or display specified anatomical areas while being observed, painted, painted upon, sketched, drawn, sculptured, photographed, or otherwise depicted by such customers.
ADULT MOTION PICTURE ARCADE. Any place which excludes minors from all or part of the establishment wherein coin or token operated or electronically, electrically, or mechanically controlled or operated still or motion picture machines, projectors, or other image producing devices are maintained to show images to five or fewer persons per machine at any one time, and where the images so displayed are distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on depicting or describing specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas.
ADULT MOTION PICTURE THEATER. A theater in an enclosed building, from which minors are excluded from all or part of the establishment, with a capacity of 50 or more persons used regularly and routinely for presenting live entertainment or motion pictures, including but no limited to film and videotapes, having as a dominant theme material distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing, or relating to specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas for observation by patrons.
ADULT NOVELTY BUSINESS. A business, from which minors are excluded from all or part of the establishment, which sells, offers to sell, or displays devices which simulate human genitals or devices which are designed for sexual stimulation.
ADULT USE. Any of the activities and businesses described in this division (B) constitute ADULT-ORIENTED BUSINESSES which are subject to the regulation of this section.
SPECIFIED ANATOMICAL AREAS. Any of the following conditions:
(a) Less than completely and opaquely covered:
1. Human genitals, pubic region, or pubic hair;
2. Buttock or anus; and
3. Female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola.
(b) Human male genitals in a discernible turgid state, completely and opaquely covered.
SPECIFIED SEXUAL ACTIVITIES. Any of the following conditions:
(a) An act of sexual intercourse, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, including genital-genital, anal-genital, or oral-genital intercourse, whether between human beings or between a human being and an animal;
(b) SADOMASOCHISTIC ABUSE, meaning flagellation or torture by or upon a person who is nude or clad in undergarments or in a revealing costume or the condition of being fettered, bound, or otherwise physically restricted on the part of one so clothed;
(c) Masturbation or lewd exhibitions of the genitals including any explicit, close-up representation of a human genital organ, clothed or unclothed; and/or
(d) Physical contact or simulated physical contact with the clothed or unclothed pubic areas or buttocks of a human male or female, or the breasts of a female, whether alone or between members of the same or opposite sex or between humans and animals in an act of apparent sexual stimulation or gratification.
(C) Application.
(1) Except as in this section specifically provided, no structure shall be erected, converted, enlarged, reconstructed, or altered, and no structure or land shall be used, for any purpose nor in any manner, which is not in conformity with this section.
(2) No adult-oriented business shall engage in any activity or conduct or permit any other person to engage in any activity or conduct in or about the establishment which is prohibited by any ordinance of the city, the laws of the state, or the United States of America. Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing or permitting conduct which is prohibited or regulated by other statutes or ordinances, including but not limited to statutes or ordinances prohibiting the exhibition, sale, or distribution of obscene material generally, or the exhibition, sale, or distribution of specified materials to minors.
(D) Location. During the term of this section, no adult-oriented businesses shall be located less than 1,000 feet from any residential zoning district boundary or site used for residential purposes, and less than 1,000 feet from any church site, from any school site, from any day care facility, or from any park which is adjacent to property zoned residential. In addition, no adult-oriented business may be located within 1,000 feet of another adult-oriented business. For purposes of this section, this distance shall be a horizontal measurement from the nearest existing residential district boundary or site used for residential purposes, church site, school site, day care site, park site, or another adult-oriented business site to the nearest boundary of the proposed adult-oriented site.
(E) Hours of operation. No adult-oriented business site shall be open to the public from the hours of 11:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
(F) Alcoholic beverages. No alcoholic beverages shall be possessed, used, sold, or provided by or to any person at any adult-oriented business premises.
(G) Operation.
(1) An establishment operating as an adult-oriented business shall prevent off-site viewing of its merchandise, which if viewed by a minor, would be in violation of M.S. Chapter 617, as it may be amended from time to time, or other applicable federal or state statutes or local ordinances.
(2) All entrances to the business, with the exception of emergency fire exits, which are not useable by patrons to enter the business, shall be visible from a public right-of-way.
(3) The layout of the display areas shall be designed so that the management of the establishment and any law enforcement personnel inside the store can observe all patrons while they have access to any merchandise offered for sale or viewing including but not limited to books, magazines, photographs, video tapes, or any other material.
(4) Illumination of the premises exterior shall be adequate to observe the location and activities of all persons on the exterior premises.
(5) Signs for adult-oriented businesses shall comply with the city’s ordinance for signs, and in addition signs for adult-oriented businesses shall not contain representational depiction of an adult nature or graphic descriptions of the adult theme of the operation.
(H) Licenses.
(1) All establishments, including any business operating at the time this section becomes effective, operating or intending to operate an adult oriented business, shall apply for and obtain a license from the city. A person is in violation of the City Code if he or she operates an adult-oriented business without a valid license issued by the city.
(2) An application for a license must be made on a form provided by the city.
(a) The application must be accompanied by a sketch or diagram showing the configuration of the premises, including a statement of total floor space occupied by the business. The sketch or diagram need not be professionally prepared but must be drawn to a designated scale or drawn with marked dimensions of the interior of the premises to an accuracy of plus or minus six inches.
(b) The applicant must be qualified according to the provisions of this section and the premises must be inspected and found to be in compliance with the appropriate state, county, and local law and codes by the health official, Fire Marshal, and building official.
(c) Application for license shall contain the address and legal description of the property to be used; the names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, of the owner, lessee, if any, the operator or manager, and all employees; the name, address, and phone number of two persons, who shall be residents of the state, and who may be called upon to attest to the applicant’s, manager’s, or operator’s character; whether the applicant, manager, or operator has ever been convicted of a crime or offense other than a traffic offense and, if so, complete and accurate information the disposition thereof; the names and addresses of all creditors of the applicant, owner, lessee, or manager insofar as the regarding credit which has been extended for the purposes of constructing, equipping, maintaining, operating, or furnishing or acquiring the premises, personal effects, equipment, or anything incident to the establishment, maintenance, and operation of the business.
(d) If the application is made on behalf of a corporation, joint business venture, partnership, or any legally constituted business association, it shall submit along with its application, accurate and complete business records showing the names, addresses, and dates of birth of all individuals having an interest in the business, including partners, officers, owners, and creditors furnishing credit for the establishment, acquisition, maintenance, and furnishings of said business and, in the case of a corporation, the names, addresses, and dates of birth of all officers, general managers, members of the board of directors, as well as any creditors who have extended credit for the acquisition, maintenance, operation, or furnishing of the establishment including the purchase or acquisition of any items of personal property for use in said operation.
(e) All applicants shall furnish to the city, along with their applications, complete and accurate documentation establishing the interest of the applicant and any other person having an interest in the premises upon which the building is proposed to be located or the furnishings thereof, personal property thereof, or the operation or maintenance thereof. Documentation shall be in the form of a lease, deed, contract for deed, mortgage deed, mortgage credit arrangement, loan agreements, security agreements, and any other documents establishing the interest of the applicant or any other person in the operation, acquisition, or maintenance of the enterprise.
(f) All establishments, including any business operating at the time this section becomes effective, operating or intending to operate an adult oriented business shall be prohibited if the license fee required by this section has not been paid.
(g) All establishments, including any business operating at the time this section becomes effective, operating or intending to operate an adult oriented business shall be prohibited if an applicant has been convicted of a crime involving any of the following offenses:
1. Any sex crimes as defined by any ordinance or statute in conformity therewith;
2. Any obscenity crime as defined by M.S. §§ 617.23 through 617.299 inclusive, as they may be amended from time to time, or as defined by any ordinance or statute in conformity therewith; for which:
a. Less than two years have elapsed since the date of conviction or the date of release from confinement imposed for the conviction, whichever is the later date, if the conviction is of a misdemeanor offense;
b. Less than five years have elapsed since the date of the last conviction or the date of release from confinement for the conviction, whichever is the later date, if the conviction is a felony offense; or
c. Less than five years have elapsed since the date of the last conviction or the date of release from confinement for the last conviction, whichever is the later date, if the conviction is of two or more misdemeanor offenses or combination of misdemeanor offenses occurring within any 24-month period.
3. The fact that a conviction is being appealed shall have no effect on disqualification of the applicant’s spouse.
(3) The license, if granted, shall state on its face the name of the person or persons to whom it is granted, the expiration date, and the address of the adult-oriented business. The license shall be posted in a conspicuous place at or near the entrance to the adult-oriented business so that it may be easily read at any time.
(4) The City Council shall act to approve or disapprove the license application within 120 days from the date the application was submitted, provided that the application contains all of the information required by this section. If the application is deficient, the City Council shall act on the application within 120 days from the date that the deficiency has been corrected.
(5) Within 90 days after the decision by the City Council, the applicant may appeal to the District Court by serving a notice upon the Mayor or Clerk/Treasurer of the municipality.
(I) Fees. Fees to obtain a license to operate an adult-oriented business shall be set at $2,500 per year.
(J) Inspection.
(1) An applicant or licensee shall permit health officials, representatives of the Police Department, Fire Department, and Building Inspection Division, to inspect the premises of an adult-oriented business for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the law at any time it is occupied or open for business, in accordance with § 10.20.
(2) A person who operates an adult-oriented business or his or her agent or employee commits an offense if she or he refuses to permit a lawful inspection of the premises by health officials, representatives of the Police Department, Fire Department, and Building Inspection Division at any time it is occupied or open for business. Refusal to permit inspections may result in the suspension of the license as provided in division (L) below.
(3) The provisions of this section do not apply to areas of an adult motel, which are currently being rented by a customer for use as a permanent or temporary habitation.
(K) Expiration and renewal.
(1) Each license shall expire at the end of the calendar year and may be renewed only by making application as provided in division (G)(1) above. Application for renewal must be made at least 60 days before the expiration date, and when made less that 60 days before the expiration date, the expiration of the license will not be affected.
(2) When the city denies renewal of a license, the applicant shall not be issued a license for one year from the date of denial. If, subsequent to denial, the city finds that the basis for denial of the renewal license has been corrected or abated, the applicant may be granted a license if at least 90 days have elapsed since the date denial became final.
(L) Suspension.
(1) The city may suspend a license for a period not to exceed 30 days if it determines that licensee or an employee of a licensee has:
(a) Violated or is not in compliance with any provision of this chapter;
(b) Engaged in the possession, use, sale, or provision of alcoholic beverages while on the adult-oriented business premises;
(c) Refused to allow an inspection of the adult-oriented business premises as authorized by this chapter;
(d) Knowingly permitted gambling by any person on the adult-oriented business premises; or
(e) Demonstrated inability to operate or manage an adult oriented business in a peaceful and law-abiding manner, thus necessitating action by law enforcement officers.
(2) A suspension by the city shall be proceeded by written notice to the licensee and a public hearing. The notice shall give at least ten days’ notice of the time and place of the hearing and shall state the nature of the charges against the licensee. The notice may be served upon the licensee personally, or by leaving the same at the licensed business premises with the person in charge thereof.
(M) Revocation.
(1) The city may revoke a license if a cause for suspension in division (L) above occurs and the license has been suspended within the preceding 12 months.
(2) The city shall revoke a license if it determines that:
(a) A licensee gave false or misleading information in the material submitted to the city during the application process;
(b) A licensee or an employee has knowingly allowed possession, use, or sale of alcohol or controlled substances on the premises;
(c) A licensee or an employee has knowingly allowed prostitution on the premises;
(d) A licensee or an employee knowingly operated the adult-oriented business during a period of time when the licensee’s license was suspended;
(e) A licensee has been convicted of an offense, for which the time period required, has not elapsed;
(f) On two or more occasions within a 12-month period, a person or persons committed an offense occurring in or on the licensed premises of a crime for which a conviction has been obtained, and the person or persons were employees of the adult-oriented business at the time the offenses were committed; or
(g) A licensee or an employee has knowingly allowed any act of sexual intercourse, sodomy, oral copulation, or masturbation to occur in or on the licensed premises.
(3) The fact that a conviction is being appealed shall have no effect on the revocation of the license.
(4) Division (M)(2)(g) above does not apply to adult motels as a ground for revoking the license unless the licensee or employee knowingly allowed the act of sexual intercourse, sodomy, oral copulation, masturbation, or sexual contact to occur in a public place or within public view.
(5) When the city revokes a license, the revocation shall continue for one year and the licensee shall not be issued an adult-oriented business license for one year from the date revocation became effective. If, subsequent to revocation, the city finds that the basis for the revocation has been corrected or abated, the applicant may be granted a license if at least 90 days have elapsed since the date the revocation became effective. If the license was revoked under division (M)(2)(e) above, an applicant may not be granted another license until the appropriate number of years required, has elapsed.
(6) A revocation by the city shall be proceeded by written notice to the licensee and a public hearing. The notice shall give at least ten days’ notice of the time and place of the hearing and shall state the nature of the charges against the licensee. The notice may be served upon the licensee personally, or by leaving the same at the licensed premises with the person in charge thereof.
(N) Transfer of license. A licensee shall not transfer this license to another, nor shall a licensee operate an adult-oriented business under the authority of a license at any place other than the address designated in the application.
(Ord. passed 6-9-2020; Ord. passed 4-13-2021; Ord. passed 7-13-2021; Ord. passed 8-16-2022; Ord. passed 10-11-2022) Penalty, see § 156.999