(a) Except as provided in subsection (e), from and after July 1, 1998, no adult-oriented establishment shall be operated or maintained in any applicable county without first obtaining a license to operate issued by the county adult-oriented establishment board.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 7-51-1104

  • Adult-oriented establishment: includes , but is not limited to, an adult bookstore, adult motion picture theater, adult mini-motion picture establishment, adult cabaret, escort agency, sexual encounter center, massage parlor, rap parlor, sauna. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Board: means the adult-oriented establishment board, or, if there is in existence in the county a massage registration board appointed by the county mayor, such board may be substituted for the board. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • County: as used in this part , means either a Class A county or a Class B county as classified in §. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Employee: means a person who performs any service on the premises of an adult-oriented establishment on a full-time, part-time, or contract basis, whether or not the person is denominated an employee, independent contractor, agent or otherwise, and whether or not such person is paid a salary, wage, or other compensation by the operator of such business. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Entertainer: means any person who provides entertainment within an "adult-oriented establishment" as defined in this section, whether or not a fee is charged or accepted for entertainment and whether or not entertainment is provided as an employee, escort or an independent contractor. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Escort: means a person who, for monetary consideration in the form of a fee, commission, salary or tip, dates, socializes, visits, consorts with, accompanies, or offers to date, socialize, visit, consort or accompany to social affairs, entertainment or places of amusement or within any place of public resort or within any private quarters of a place of public resort. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Escort service: means a "person" as defined in this section, who, for a fee, commission, profit, payment or other monetary consideration, furnishes or offers to furnish escorts or provides or offers to introduce patrons to escorts. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Operator: means any person, partnership, or corporation operating, conducting or maintaining an adult-oriented establishment. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, limited partnership, firm, corporation or association. See Tennessee Code 7-51-1102
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(b) A license may be issued only for one (1) adult-oriented establishment located at a fixed and certain place. Any person, partnership or corporation that desires to operate more than one (1) adult-oriented establishment must have a license for each. No building, premises, structure or other facility that contains any adult-oriented establishment shall contain any other kind of adult-oriented establishment.
(c) No license or interest in a license may be transferred to any person, partnership or corporation.
(d) It is unlawful for any entertainer, employee, escort or operator to knowingly work in or about or to knowingly perform any service directly related to or at the request of the operation of any unlicensed adult-oriented establishment or escort service.
(e) All existing adult-oriented establishments, entertainers, employees, escorts, or operators, at the time this part is given local effect pursuant to § 7-51-1120, must submit an application for an appropriate license or permit within one hundred twenty (120) days of this part becoming effective in such county. All existing adult-oriented establishments, entertainers, employees, escorts, or operators, at the time this part is given local effect pursuant to § 7-51-1120, who timely submit an application for an appropriate license or permit, as set forth in this subsection (e), shall be granted a conditional license or permit maintaining the status quo, pending final judicial review by the trial court. If no timely application is filed within the one-hundred-twenty-day period, or no license or permit is issued by the board or granted through judicial review by the trial court, then the adult-oriented establishment, entertainer, employee, escort, or operator shall cease to operate or to perform such services or entertainment.
(f) No license shall be issued by the board unless the applicant certifies, by proof satisfactory to the board, that the applicant has satisfied the rules, regulations and provisions of the applicable zoning requirements in the county. Any zoning requirement shall be in addition to and not an alternative to any requirement of this part.
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