Sex establishment licences

You will need a licence from us to run a sex shop or sex cinema in the borough of Rugby. This applies to any premises that sells sex toys, books or videos, or where explicit films are shown to members of the public.

Eligibility

To apply for a sex establishment licence you:

  • must be at least 18 years old
  • must not be disqualified from holding a licence
  • must have been resident in the UK for at least six months immediately before the application or, if you are applying on behalf of a company the company must be incorporated in the UK
  • must not have been refused the grant or renewal of a licence for the premises in question within the last 12 months unless the refusal has been reversed on appeal.

The application process

We will need to decide if you are a 'fit and proper' person to run a sex establishment. This might include carrying out an enhanced criminal record check or where appropriate get a certificate of good conduct from a relevant foreign embassy.

We will also decide if your application complies with our local policies on sex establishments.

You must publish an advertisement about your application in a local newspaper.

Fees

There is a charge of £4,700.00 for a sex establishment licence.

Appeals

Please contact us in the first instance.

If you are refused a licence you may appeal to a magistrate within 21 days. However, the right to appeal does not apply where the licence was refused on the grounds that:

  • the number of sex establishments in the area exceeds the number which we consider is appropriate
  • the grant of the licence would be inappropriate considering the character of the area, the nature of other premises in the area, or the premises themselves.

The public register

There is no public register for this licence.

In this section:

  1. You are here: Sex establishment licences Sex establishment licences
  2. You are here: Eligibility Eligibility
  3. You are here: The application process The application process
  4. You are here: How to apply How to apply
  5. You are here: Fees Fees
  6. You are here: Appeals Appeals
  7. You are here: The public register The public register