Sex establishment licence

Most sexual entertainment venues will require a sex establishment licence. Sex establishments include:

• sex shops
• sex cinemas
• sexual entertainment venues

Sex shops 

A sex shop is any premises used for the business of:

• selling, hiring, exchanging, lending, displaying or demonstrating sex articles
• other things intended for use in connection with sexual activity 

Sex cinemas 

A sex cinema is any premises used for exhibiting films which are primarily concerned with portraying sexual activity. 

Sexual entertainment venues

A sexual entertainment venue is any premises at which any live performance or live display of nudity is provided. This is commonly described as: 

• lap dancing 
• pole dancing 
• live sex shows 
• table dancing 
• strip shows 
• peep shows 

Circumstances where you do not need a licence

Sexual entertainment can still take place without the need for a premise being licensed as a sex establishment. This is if it occurs:

• infrequently
• on no more than 11 occasions in a year
• with at least 1 month's 'other' entertainment in between

Licence eligibility 

To apply you must be: 

• at least 18 years old 
• not disqualified from holding a licence 
• a resident in the UK for at least 6 months immediately before the application or for corporate bodies, be incorporated in the UK 
• not have been refused a licence for the premises in the last 12 months unless it was reversed on appeal

How to apply 

To apply, please contact us:  

Email: licensing@woking.gov.uk
Telephone: 01483 755 855

Please contact us for the licence fee.

Advertising your application

You must display a copy of the application at or on the premises to which the application relates. It must be:

• displayed for no less than 28 consecutive days, beginning with the date of the application
• easily and conveniently read from the outside of the premises by any passing member of the public

You must also advertise it in a local newspaper, within 7 days of giving submitting your application.

After you apply

When considering your application, we will look at: 

• your suitability 
• whether you are a ‘front’ for someone else 
• the character of the area 
• relevant representations made 

We will contact you within 5 working days of receiving your application.  

Decisions

For new applications, we will normally expect to let you know our decision within 60 days of receiving your application. 

For renewals, as along as there are no objections, we will normally expect to let you know within 30 days. 

Inspections and assessments 

We will inspect the premises to make sure that technical standards are met, along with the fire authority and the police.  If works are required to bring the building up to standard, we will let you know. We will not issue a licence until all work is satisfactorily completed. 

We carry out further inspections after the licence has been issued to make sure you are complying with the licensing conditions. 

Appeals 

You can appeal to the magistrates’ court against a decision. This must be done within 21 days from receiving our notice of refusal. 

This applies to: 

• application refusal (new, renewal or variation) 
• conditions attached to a licence 
• revocation of a licence

The right to appeal does not apply if the refusal was on the grounds that: 

• the number of sex establishments in the areas is more than we consider appropriate
• it is inappropriate considering the character of the area, the nature of other premises in the area or the premises themselves

You may also appeal to the Crown Court against a decision of a magistrates' court.