To run a sex shop – meaning any premises selling sex toys, books or videos – or operate a sex entertainment venue such as a lap-dancing club, you may need a licence from the council. To run a venue where explicit films are shown to members of the public, you also need a licence.
You may request that we waive the requirement of a licence, however.
Apply
Sex shops or cinemas
Download the relevant application form from the GOV.UK website:
A fee of £3,268 is payable upon application for a sex shop or sex cinema. Tacit approval does not apply. Please contact us if you have not heard from us within 40 days.
A fee of £1,044 is payable for renewing or transferring a licence.
Sexual entertainment venues (SEVs)
You will need to download the application form below and return it to us:
Sex establishment licence application [RTF, 0.6MB] for granting, renewing or transferring a licence
A fee of £3,528 is payable upon application for a Sexual Entertainment Venue. Tacit approval does not apply. Please contact us if you have not heard from us within 40 days.
A fee of £1,044 is payable for renewing or transferring a licence.
Policy and conditions
Eligibility
An applicant:
- must be at least 18 years old
- must not be disqualified from holding a licence
- must have been resident in the UK at least six months immediately before the application or, if a corporate body, must be incorporated in the UK
- must not have been refused the grant or renewal of a licence for the premises in question within the last 12 months unless the refusal has been reversed on appeal
Evaluation
Applications must be in writing (including by electronic means) and contain any information we require, as well as the applicant's name, address and, where the applicant is an individual, their age, plus the address of the premises.
Applicants must give public notice of their application by publishing an advertisement in a local newspaper.
