For the purposes of this chapter, the words and phrases defined in the sections hereunder shall have the meanings therein respectively ascribed to them unless a different meaning is clearly indicated by the context.
ADULT BOOKSTORE OR ADULT VIDEO STORE. A commercial establishment which, as one of its principal business activities, offers for sale or rental for any form of consideration any one or more of the following: books, magazines, periodicals or other printed matter, or photographs, films, motion pictures, video cassettes, compact discs, digital video discs, slides or other visual representations which are characterized by their emphasis upon the display of "specified sexual activities" or "specified anatomical areas." A "principal business activity" exists where the commercial establishment meets any one or more of the following criteria:
(1) At least 35% of the establishment's displayed merchandise consists of said items;
(2) At least 35% of the wholesale value of the establishment's displayed merchandise consists of said items;
(3) At least 35% of the retail value (defined as the price charged to customers) of the establishment's displayed merchandise consists of said items;
(4) At least 35% of the establishment's revenues derive from the sale or rental, for any form of consideration, of said items;
(5) The establishment maintains at least 35% of its floor space for the display, sale, and/or rental of said items (aisles and walkways used to access said items shall be included in "floor space" maintained for the display, sale, or rental of said items);
(6) The establishment maintains at least 500 square feet of its floor space for the display, sale, and/or rental of said items (aisles and walkways used to access said items shall be included in "floor space" maintained for the display, sale, or rental of said items);
(7) The establishment regularly offers for sale or rental at least 2,000 of said items;
(8) The establishment regularly features said items and regularly advertises itself or holds itself out, by using "adult," "adults-only," "XXX," "sex," "erotic," "novelties," or substantially similar language, as an establishment that caters to adult sexual interests;
(9) The establishment maintains an "adult arcade," which means any place to which the public is permitted or invited wherein coin-operated or slug-operated or electronically, electrically, or mechanically controlled still or motion picture machines, projectors, or other image-producing devices are regularly maintained to show images to five or fewer persons per machine at any one time, and where the images so displayed are characterized by their emphasis upon matter exhibiting "specified sexual activities" or "specified anatomical areas."
ADULT CABARET. A nightclub, bar, juice bar, restaurant, bottle club, or similar commercial establishment, regardless of whether alcoholic beverages are served, which regularly features live conduct characterized by semi-nudity. No establishment shall avoid classification as an adult cabaret by offering or featuring nudity.
ADULT MOTION PICTURE THEATER. A commercial establishment where films, motion pictures, videocassettes, slides, or similar photographic reproductions which are characterized by their emphasis upon the display of "specified sexual activities" or "specified anatomical areas" are regularly shown to more than five people for any form of consideration.
ALCOHOL. The compound C2H5OH, known as ethyl alcohol, hydrated oxide of ethyl, or spirits of wine, from whatever source or by whatever process produced.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE. A liquid or solid that: (1) is, or contains 0.5% or more alcohol by volume; (2) is fit for human consumption; and, (3) is reasonably likely, or intended, to be used as a beverage.
BATH HOUSE, SEXUALLY ORIENTED. An enterprise where a portion of its business is offering baths with other persons present who are nude or displaying specified anatomical areas.
BODY PAINTING STUDIO, SEXUALLY ORIENTED. An establishment where a portion of its business is the application of paint or other substance to or on the human body by any means of application, technique or process when the subject's body displays or the patrons view of specified anatomical areas.
CHARACTERIZED BY. Describing the essential character or quality of an item. As applied in this chapter, no business shall be classified as a sexually oriented business by virtue of showing, selling, or renting materials rated NC-17 or R by the Motion Picture Association of America.
COUNTY. The County of LaPorte, Indiana.
EMPLOY, EMPLOYEE, AND EMPLOYMENT. Describe and pertain to any person who performs any service on the premises of a sexually oriented business, on a full-time, part-time, or contract basis, regardless of whether the person is denominated an employee, independent contractor, agent, lessee, or otherwise. EMPLOYEE does not include a person exclusively on the premises for repair or maintenance of the premises or for the delivery of goods to the premises.
ESTABLISH OR ESTABLISHMENT. Means and includes any of the following:
(1) The opening or commencement of any sexually oriented business as a new business;
(2) The conversion of an existing business, whether or not a sexually oriented business, to any sexually oriented business; or,
(3) The addition of any sexually oriented business to any other existing sexually oriented business.
FLOOR SPACE. The floor area inside a sexually oriented business that is visible or accessible to patrons for any reason, excluding restrooms.
HEARING OFFICER. An attorney, not otherwise employed by the county, who is licensed to practice law in Indiana, and retained to serve as an independent tribunal to conduct hearings under this chapter.
INFLUENTIAL INTEREST. Any of the following: (1) the actual power to operate the sexually oriented business or control the operation, management or policies of the sexually oriented business or legal entity which operates the sexually oriented business; (2) ownership of a financial interest of 30% or more of a business or of any class of voting securities of a business; or, (3) holding an office (e.g., president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, managing member, managing director, etc.) in a legal entity which operates the sexually oriented business.
LICENSEE. A person in whose name a license to operate a sexually oriented business has been issued, as well as the individual or individuals listed as an applicant on the application for a sexually oriented business license. In the case of an "employee," it shall mean the person in whose name the sexually oriented business employee license has been issued.
NUDITY. The showing of the human male or female genitals, pubic area, or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering; the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any part of the nipple; or, the depiction of covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.
OPERATOR. Any person on the premises of a sexually oriented business who causes the business to function or who puts or keeps in operation the business or who is authorized to manage the business or exercise overall operational control of the business premises. A person may be found to be operating or causing to be operated a sexually oriented business regardless of whether that person is an owner, part owner, or licensee of the business.
PERSON. An individual, proprietorship, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity.
PREMISES. The real property upon which the sexually oriented business is located, and all appurtenances thereto and buildings thereon, including, but not limited to, the sexually oriented business, the grounds, private walkways, and parking lots and/or parking garages adjacent thereto, under the ownership, control, or supervision of the licensee, as described in the application for a sexually oriented business license.
REGULARLY. The consistent and repeated doing of an act on an ongoing basis.
REVIEWING ROOM. The room, booth, or area where a patron of a sexually oriented business would ordinarily be positioned while watching a film, videocassette, digital video disc, or other video reproduction.
SEMI-NUDE OR SEMI-NUDITY. The showing of the female breast below a horizontal line across the top of the areola and extending across the width of the breast at that point, or the showing of the male or female buttocks. This definition shall include the lower portion of the human female breast, but shall not include any portion of the cleavage of the human
female breasts exhibited by a bikini, dress, blouse, shirt, leotard, or similar wearing apparel provided the areola is not exposed in whole or in part.
SEMI-NUDE MODEL STUDIO. A place where persons regularly appear in a state of semi-nudity for money or any form of consideration in order to be observed, sketched, drawn, painted, sculptured, photographed, or similarly depicted by other persons. This definition does not apply to any place where persons appearing in a state of semi-nudity did so in a class operated:
(1) By a college, junior college, or university supported entirely or partly by taxation;
(2) By a private college or university which maintains and operates educational programs in which credits are transferable to a college, junior college, or university supported entirely or partly by taxation; or,
(3) In a structure:
(a) Which has no sign visible from the exterior of the structure and no other advertising that indicates a semi-nude person is available for viewing; and,
(b) Where, in order to participate in a class a student must enroll at least three days in advance of the class.
SEXUAL DEVICE. Any three dimensional object designed for stimulation of the male or female human genitals, anus, buttocks, female breast, or for sadomasochistic use or abuse of oneself or others and shall include devices commonly known as dildos, vibrators, penis pumps, cock rings, anal beads, butt plugs, nipple clamps, and physical representation of the human genital organs. Nothing in this definition shall be construed to include devices primarily intended for protection against sexually transmitted diseases or for preventing pregnancy.
SEXUAL DEVICE SHOP. A commercial establishment that regularly features sexual devices. This definition shall not be construed to include any
pharmacy, drug store, medical clinic, any establishment primarily dedicated to providing medical or healthcare products or services, or any establishment that does not limit access to its premises or a portion of its premises to adults only.
SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESS. An adult bookstore or adult video store, an adult cabaret, an adult motion picture theater, a semi-nude model studio, a sexual device shop, a sexually oriented bath house, a sexually oriented body painting studio, or a sexually oriented encounter center.
SEXUALLY ORIENTED ENCOUNTER CENTER. A business or enterprise that offers physical contact between two or more persons when one or more of the persons is in a state of nudity or semi-nudity, for the purpose of engaging in specified sexual activity or touching specified anatomical areas, but not including a sexually oriented cabaret or nightclub.
SPECIFIED ANATOMICAL AREAS. Means and includes:
(1) Less than completely and opaquely covered: human genitals; pubic region; buttock; and female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola; and,
(2) Human male genitals in a discernibly turgid state, even if completely and opaquely covered.
SPECIFIED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. Any of the following specified crimes for which less than five years has elapsed since the date of conviction or the date of release from confinement for the conviction, whichever is the later date:
(1) Rape, sexual assault, public indecency, statutory rape, rape of a child, sexual exploitation of a minor, indecent exposure, or any offense that requires the offender to register with the State of Indiana as a convicted sex offender;
(2) Prostitution, patronizing prostitution, promoting prostitution;
(3) Obscenity;
(4) Manufacturing, delivering, or possession with intent to deliver any controlled substances or cannabis;
(5) Racketeering, tax evasion, money laundering;
(6) Any attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit one of the foregoing offenses;
(7) Human and sexual trafficking; or,
(8) Any offense in another jurisdiction that, had the predicate act(s) been committed in Indiana, would have constituted any of the foregoing offenses.
SPECIFIED SEXUAL ACTIVITY. Means any of the following:
(1) Intercourse, oral copulation, masturbation or sodomy; or,
(2) Excretory functions as a part of or in connection with any of the activities described in division (1) above.
TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OR CONTROL of a sexually oriented business means any of the following:
(1) The sale, lease, or sublease of the business;
(2) The transfer of securities which constitute an influential interest in the business, whether by sale, exchange, or similar means; or,
(3) The establishment of a trust, gift, or other similar legal device which transfers the ownership or control of the business, except for transfer by bequest or other operation of law upon the death of the person possessing the ownership or control.
(Ord. 2012-09, passed 11-20-12; Am. Ord. 2014- 04, passed 6-18-14)