Brazos County Commissioners Pass Restrictions On Sexually Oriented Businesses

Screen shot from a Brazos County document.
Screen shot from a Brazos County document.

Brazos County commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting included approval of restricting the location of sexually oriented businesses in unincorporated areas of the county.

Commissioners had no discussion before unanimously adopting the regulations.

Before the meeting, county judge Duane Peters told WTAW News they “couldn’t stop a sexually oriented business from coming to Brazos County, but we can create an ordinance that controls at least what they can do and how they run a business and that sort of thing”.

Peters added “as we continue to grow, somebody will probably will come up with the idea to do it. We just need to have the ordinance in place. If it’s not in place when they decide to open up it’s too late.”

The proposed 27 page ordinance establishes three groups of businesses. More than seven pages of the proposal lists definitions.

Businesses that are prohibited includes sexually oriented escort service; sexually oriented encounter center; massage parlor; sexually oriented modeling studio; sexually oriented motel; sexually oriented motion picture video viewing area; and sexually oriented media viewing booth.

What the proposal describes as Class I businesses includes sexually oriented media store and sexually oriented novelty store.

What the proposal describes as Class II businesses includes sexually oriented cabaret or theater and sexually oriented motion picture theater.

The proposed ordinance also these businesses to be a certain distance from churches, schools, public parks, child care facilities, what is called “a residential use”, and what is called “a place of public assembly”.

Business hours are limited, commissioned security officers must on site, businesses and its employees are required to have permits and/or licenses, and there is a video surveillance requirement.

Click HERE to read and download the proposed ordinance.

Click HERE to read and download surveillance requirements associated with the proposed ordinance.

Click below for comments from Duane Peters, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.

Listen to “Brazos County proposing restrictions on sexually oriented businesses” on Spreaker.