Minneapolis repeals bathhouse ban; zoning, health rules still to come

Minneapolis MN – Minneapolis City Council voted on June 25, 2026 to repeal the city’s long-running ban on adult bathhouses and sex venues. But the policy change is only the first step: the city still has to finalize the updated ordinance package and put the new zoning, health/sanitation, and licensing workflows into practice before any new operations can move forward.

The repeal removed the old ban—but “how it works” is still being built

According to the Star Tribune, the City Council passed two technical amendments that effectively repealed the ban and regulate adult bathhouses under the city’s adult entertainment framework. One change moves definitions and related standards into the city’s “Places of Adult Entertainment” code structure, and the other amends code provisions around venereal diseases and high-risk sexual conduct to allow sex between consenting adults in bathhouses.

The vote tally, as reported by the Star Tribune: nine council members voted yes, two opposed the measures, one abstained, and one member was absent.

Still, the council’s repeal doesn’t automatically mean anyone can open right away. The measure also has to clear the next procedural step noted by Star Tribune—Mayor Jacob Frey said he will sign it—after which the city would have to set up the remaining regulatory details, including zoning and public-health code requirements, that govern whether and how adult bathhouses could operate.

The ordinance package covers multiple Minneapolis code areas

This wasn’t handled through a single change. The Minneapolis legislative materials describe an ordinance package meant to update several different code “buckets” so the city can regulate adult bathhouses/sex venues consistently across:

• Licensing and business regulations (Title 13), including adding a new Chapter 270 for “Adult Sex Venues,” alongside related adult-entertainment updates.
• Zoning (Title 20), including updates across use regulations, development standards, and definitions tied to sexually oriented uses and the new adult-sex-venue framework.
• Health and sanitation (Title 11), including changes in provisions related to venereal diseases and high-risk sexual conduct.
• Miscellaneous offenses (Title 15), including exceptions for licensed establishments where sexual activity between consenting adults may be facilitated.

For residents, the practical point is that the “repeal” and the “operating rules” are different timelines. The regulatory parts still have to be finalized and implemented in a way that works for real applications, review processes, and enforcement.

What’s next—and what residents should watch for

Star Tribune framed the June 25 vote as the first step, with additional changes needed—especially in zoning and public-health rules—before adult bathhouses can open. That means the uncertainty for neighbors, commuters, and anyone who might be an applicant isn’t whether the ban is gone (it is, via the City Council action), but what the city’s finalized location standards, licensing categories, inspection/health compliance expectations, and application workflows end up looking like.

Where to follow the next milestones

If you want to track updates as the city turns the repeal into enforceable rules, start with:

• Minneapolis LIMS (the city’s legislative tracking system), where ordinance documents and City Council actions are recorded.
• City of Minneapolis adult entertainment licensing context, which lays out how adult entertainment licensing is structured (including how application types are handled based on whether alcohol is involved) and directs people to Business Licenses for submissions.

Bottom line: Minneapolis repealed the ban, but the real “when can operations start?” question hinges on how quickly the city finalizes and operationalizes zoning and health/sanitation requirements, and how those rules translate into licensing reviews and inspections.

Sources

• MPR News — Minneapolis City Council votes to repeal ban on adult bathhouses, sex venues (June 25, 2026)
• Minneapolis Star Tribune — Repeal passes city council; details on the ordinance package and remaining implementation issues (June 25, 2026)
• Minneapolis LIMS — Committee of the Whole Report (Apr. 7, 2026): Adult bathhouses and sex venues ordinance package (file numbers and code areas)
• Minneapolis LIMS — City Council Agenda (Mar. 5, 2026): Notice of ordinance introductions enabling the later repeal vote
• City of Minneapolis — Adult business licensing context (where adult-use licensing sits in the broader business-license structure)