Adult Entertainment · 6 min read · Last updated
If you run the floor at an adult services entertainment establishment, the by-law licenses you personally as well as licensing the business. The operator/manager licence covers anyone who operates, manages, supervises, controls or is responsible for the business, and it is held by the individual rather than by the company that owns the venue.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Mobile” category: “Operator/Manager means a person who operates, manages, supervises, controls or is responsible for the business of an adult services entertainment establishment. Applicant MUST APPLY IN PERSON with government issued photo ID. Must be employed at a Licensed Adult Entertainment Establishment under the By-law.”
Who needs this licence?
The definition is broad on purpose. An operator or manager is a person who operates, manages, supervises, controls or is responsible for the business of an adult services entertainment establishment. If any of those verbs describes your role, this licence applies to you, whatever your job title is on the schedule.
You must be employed at an adult entertainment establishment that is licensed under the by-law. Your personal licence and the establishment's licence are separate, and each depends on the other being in place.
You can only actively work at one location, which is why the application asks which establishment you are employed at.
You must apply in person with government-issued photo identification, and you must provide a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in the city where you live, dated within 36 days of your application. Third party clearances are not accepted.
This is the middle licence of the three that Schedule 1 creates, sitting between the owner's establishment licence and the attendant licence held by staff providing adult services.
What documents do you need?
There are four items, all personal to you rather than to a business.
The completed application form comes first, in your own name. Then the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check, obtained from the police service board where you live and dated within 36 days of the application. That window is short, so order it once you know when you can attend.
Third, government-issued photo identification, and note that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted for this purpose.
Fourth, the name of the establishment you are employed at. Unlike the attendant licence, there is no stage name on this application; what identifies the licence is your own name and the establishment you manage. Because you can only actively work at one location, keep that detail accurate.
Zoning and premises requirements
No zoning requirement applies to this licence and there is no zoning charge in its fee structure, because the licence attaches to you rather than to a property.
Zoning applies to the establishment you manage. The owner deals with the Zoning Verification Certificate for that address as part of the establishment licence, along with the scaled premise plan the by-law requires from them.
As a manager you have a practical interest in that paperwork even though it is not your filing. The premise plan the owner submitted describes how the space is meant to be laid out and used, and it is what the inspectors read before they visit.
Inspections and approvals
This licence requires no inspections. There is nothing to book and no inspection fee, because a personal licence has no premises attached to it.
The Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check does the equivalent work. It must come from the police service board in your city of residence, be dated within 36 days of the application, and not be a third party clearance.
The fire, health and parking inspections that apply to the venue belong to the owner's establishment licence. In practice you are likely to be the person on site when inspectors attend, so it is worth knowing what they are looking at even though the licence obligation is not yours.
How much does it cost?
A new application carries a processing fee, the licence fee and a photo fee for the municipal photo ID card. HST applies to the processing fee and photo fee, but not to the licence fee.
The licence fee for an operator or manager sits well above the attendant fee and well below the establishment owner's, which reflects the level of responsibility each licence carries.
There is no zoning charge and no inspection fee on this licence, so the fee schedule shows one total rather than several.
At renewal the licence fee is charged annually and the photo fee follows the three-year photo cycle. A licence allowed to lapse carries a reinstatement fee with HST. The City sets all amounts in its fee schedule and confirms them when you apply.
How to apply
Confirm that the establishment employing you is licensed under the by-law, since employment at a licensed establishment is a condition of this licence.
Order the Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check from the police service board in your city of residence, timed so it is within 36 days when you attend.
Have the establishment's name ready for the application form, and remember that you can only actively work at one location.
Attend in person with government-issued photo identification, keeping in mind that an Ontario Health Card is not accepted. Your photograph is taken during the visit, and the municipal photo ID card that follows is your licence.
Renewals and staying compliant
Renewal has to be done in person with government-issued photo identification, the same as the original application.
The municipal photo ID card is printed annually with an updated expiry date, and a new picture is required every three years. Declarations A and B both have to be completed.
If you have moved to a different licensed establishment during the year, deal with that when you renew rather than carrying forward an out-of-date employer. The one-location rule makes this detail part of the licence rather than an administrative note.
Renew before expiry. A late licence has to be reinstated and reinstatement carries its own fee with HST.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. Who needs an adult entertainment establishment operator/manager licence?
The definition covers any person who operates, manages, supervises, controls or is responsible for the business, regardless of job title.
2. Does the establishment's licence cover its operators and managers?
Schedule 1 creates separate licences for the establishment, the operator/manager and the attendant, each applied for individually.
3. How often must an operator/manager provide a new photograph for the licence card?
The renewal requirements state the photo ID card is printed annually with an updated expiry date and a new picture is required every three years.
Skip the paperwork
Tell Permits2Go about your business and it assembles the licence application for you — document checklists, e-signatures and a guided workspace for Hamilton, with more cities on the way.
This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Licensing requirements, by-laws and fees change and vary by municipality — always confirm the current rules with the City before you apply.