California Exotic Dancer Licensing: How to Get a Stripping License?
Understanding the process of getting your stripping license is crucial. It is illegal to become a stripper without this stripper license, also referred to as an “adult entertainment permit.” Thus, familiarizing yourself with the steps to get your stripping license is essential for employment in an adult club. It is important to note that the stripper license you receive does not authorize you to operate a business purveying nude entertainment. To legally become a stripper, you must be employed by a strip club that holds a valid Nude Entertainment Business permit.
Typically, a stripper license is valid for a duration of one (1) year from the date it was issued. During the thirty (30) day period of investigation, or until the permit application is either approved or denied, an exotic dancer may perform under temporary status with the stripper license. Remember, it is the dancer’s responsibility to renew the stripper license before it expires, as renewal notices will not be sent by mail.
To get a stripping license in California, visit your local police department’s “Permits and Licensing” division. There, you can request and get a stripper license. The terminology used by the city may vary, referring to it as either a “permit” or a “license.”
Here are some links for major cities:
- San Diego permits and licensing adult entertainer information sheet
- Fullerton exotic dancer business permit
- Modesto Adult Entertainment permit
- Riverside Police Adult entertainment permit application
- Fresno exotic dancer permit
- Gardena, California
Certain cities may mandate a Live Scan fingerprinting process for an individual to become a stripper. Live Scan involves the electronic capture of fingerprints without the use of ink, converting them into a digital format for transmission to the State. These fingerprints are subsequently cross-referenced against both state and, where applicable, FBI criminal history databases.
Stripping Laws and Exotic Dancer Laws
Getting a stripper license is a crucial step for individuals seeking to become a stripper or adult entertainer in the state of California. Getting a stripper license serves as a legal requirement, ensuring that performers comply with the established regulations and standards governing the adult entertainment industry. By getting a stripper license, individuals not only gain the authorization to engage in this profession but also contribute to maintaining a safe and regulated environment for both performers and patrons alike. This introductory guide will outline the significance of getting a stripper license and provide essential insights into the process involved in becoming a stripper in California.
Laws pertaining to strippers and exotic dancers are typically established at the city level rather than the state level. These regulations can vary significantly from one city to another. Nonetheless, when it comes to laws concerning exotic dancers, they generally define an “Adult Entertainer” as an individual who, at a designated business premises, offers entertainment in the nude or whose act prominently features the exhibition of specific anatomical regions or specific sexual activities. This category encompasses individuals engaged in various dance forms, including stage, lap, couch, and table dances, regardless of whether the performer is unclothed.
Nude Entertainment Establishment: refers to any fixed-location business where (a) individuals engage in or present nude entertainment, or (b) live performances primarily feature the exposure of specific anatomical regions or explicit sexual activities. This category encompasses venues like bars, nightclubs, lingerie modeling studios, and related commercial enterprises commonly known as nude or topless establishments.
Nude: denotes the absence of a non-transparent covering over the genitals, buttocks, pubic hair, anus, perineum, or anal area of an individual, or any part of the female breast below or at the areola.
Specified anatomical regions: encompass partially covered human genitals, buttocks, pubic region, female breasts below a point immediately above the top of the areola, anus, or male genitals in a visibly aroused state, even if fully and non-transparently covered.
Specified sexual activities: involve touching or fondling of human genitals, buttocks, pubic region, female breasts, or anus; engaging in simulated or actual sexual acts, both normal and deviant, including oral copulation, intercourse, or sodomy; performing or simulating masturbation; or incorporating excretory functions in connection with or as part of any of the aforementioned activities.
Stripper Licensing Requirement: It is prohibited for any individual to perform as a stripper without obtaining a valid permit from police.
Six-Foot Regulation: While in a state of nudity, a stripper must maintain a minimum distance of six feet from any patron.
No Physical Contact During Performances: A stripper is prohibited from deliberately making physical contact with any patron during a performance, regardless of whether the performer is nude or clothed.
No Touching at Any Time Specified Anatomical Regions: A stripper is not allowed to touch the specified anatomical areas of any individual, nor permit any person to touch their own specified anatomical areas.
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