ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the planning regulation of lawful sex businesses in the United States (US), the negative secondary effects created by these businesses, and the perceptions and realities that surround them. Sex businesses may be placed in one of four categories: adult cabaret; adult cinema; adult video arcade; and adult retail stores. The chapter discusses negative secondary effects of sex businesses focused primarily on two forms of measurable secondary effects: increases in crime rates in and around sex businesses; and decreases in property values around such businesses. Communities that have tried to bar most, or all, sex businesses have generally lost court challenges to their local ordinances. Thus, the community can adopt and implement different zoning and licensing regulations for sex businesses, provided that the effect of these regulations is not a complete ban on all such businesses.
