Do you have to have a license to strip? If YES, how do you get a stripper license and how much does it cost? What are the requirements?
The adult entertainment business is a very serious industry. The government regulates its operations as much as it would regulate just about any industry so as to protect both the participants and the clients.
For this reason, every stripper is mandated to get a license in most states in the United States. So, as you buy your costumes and dangerously high stilettos, and maybe some funky tattoos, endeavor to come along with a license.
It should be noted that the legal status of striptease varies considerably among different countries and the various jurisdictions of the United States.
Striptease is considered a form of public nudity and subject to changing legal and cultural attitudes on moral and decency grounds. Some countries do not have any restrictions on performances of striptease.
In some countries, public nudity is outlawed directly while in other countries it may be suppressed or regulated indirectly through devices such as restrictions on venues through planning laws, or licensing regulations, or liquor licensing and other restrictions.
If you want to be an exotic dancer or work at a strip club or showbar in the United States, you are required by law to obtain an Adult Entertainer Permit from the License & Permit Dept. of your state.
Everyone who is working inside the adult entertainment establishment is required to obtain an adult entertainment permit, including the owner.
This is including but not limited to: bartenders, deejays, owners, security, dishwashers, “house mothers,” kitchen staff and any other employees who work for the adult entertainment industry.
The permit allows an individual to work at an adult entertainment establishment and it is issued per employee and per establishment.
So, if you change establishments, you are required to get updated on your license. You must also obtain a separate permit to work at an additional adult entertainment establishment in case you are working in two or more places at the same time. Note that your permit is not refundable and non-transferable.
How to Get Stripper License in the United States
1. Find a Good Job or Place to Strip
Before you can even talk of getting a stripper license, you need to make sure that an adult entertainment establishment has hired you. To start with getting a job, you need to go online and read reviews of the various establishments that have job openings.
Visit TUSCL.net (the ultimate strip club list) for a comprehensive list of venues. Yelp can be valuable — but please read all reviews with a grain of glitter, since negative reviews are often left by bitter ex-patrons who were ejected for poor behavior.
Another way to find your dream job is to visit clubs during various hours so you can get a feel for the vibe and crowd. Staff and especially patrons, can vary wildly by just a few hours. A day crowd might be blue-collar workers on lunch break, while Friday nights will feature more millennials. Yet another thing you need to find out before applying for a job is the house/club rules of the establishment.
Do you agree with them? If doing a full-contact nude dance for $10 sounds too low, keep looking for a place that encourages the workers to be able to financially support themselves. You should also not if the strippers at the club protected.
Does a bouncer walk them safely to their cars after shifts are done? Are there rules regarding touching and drug use? Find out. Also, ask about their hiring practices.
Most clubs will have you fill out a form, hopefully make a copy of your ID, and will require an audition of at least one song on stage. Yes, you will have to get naked on your audition. That’s what you’ll be doing hundreds of times over if you get hired, so the establishment needs to make sure that you can at least walk a few steps without falling down.
2. Notarize your SAVE affidavit
Obtain a copy of the SAVE affidavit and have it notarized. An affidavit is a document written statement filed by an affiant as evidence in court. In order to be admissible, affidavits must be notarized by a notary public.
The SAVE affidavit is a material part of your Certificate of Need (CON) application and must be completed truthfully. Your CON application may be denied or CON may be revoked by the Department if it determines that you have made a material misstatement of fact in connection with your CON application.
3. Obtain three separate money orders
The next step to obtaining your strippers license would be to visit to the License and Permit Unit. This visit would be expedited if you came prepared to pay the three fees required via money order. The License and Permit Unit does not accept any other forms of payment.
- Fingerprint – $20
- Processing fee – $50
- Adult entertainment permit – $200
Payment for fees will be accepted only in the form of a cashier’s check or money order. All application fees are non-refundable. The following money orders will NOT be accepted: Fidelity Express, United One, and US Express. Funds must be on separate money orders/cashier’s checks in the amounts listed. These fees are processed at the License and Permit Unit.
4. Visit the License and Permit Unit to complete the application
Prepare your secure and verifiable form of identification and go to the License and Permit Unit to fill out the application card and the consent form. For the application card, you need to write legibly in black ink or type out the information. Answer all questions appropriately and in detail. At this time, the officer will ask for all three money orders.
5. Background Check
Have it in mind that for you to get your strippers license, a background check will be carried out. This background check verifies that there are no outstanding charges against that individual. Note that you cannot be issued a permit if you have had any prior convictions within the past three years in the country for crimes related to the unlawful dealing of narcotics, sexual-related offenses and crimes of moral turpitude.
Again, they cannot issue you a permit if the employment would violate the terms of your parole or probation. If you do not pass the background check, you will receive a receipt for the processing fee and they will return the fingerprinting money order and the permit fee money order.
6. Get Fingerprinted
If you pass the background check, you may proceed to be fingerprinted. The applicant will be fingerprinted in the License and Permits Office. The fee for fingerprinting is $20 per person.
7. Obtain your Adult Entertainment Permit
Once you complete the fingerprinting, the License and Permit Unit will take your photo. After successfully completing your background check and processing all of the required documents, the License and Permit Unit will issue you your Adult Entertainment permit. Your permit is good for one year starting the date that the permit fee was accepted.
Please note: If you would like to work at an additional establishment, you must return to the License Permit Unit to complete the process again. You will need another notarized SAVE affidavit, two money orders, and a completed consent form.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How can a stripper protect herself from becoming a victim of human trafficking?
- Be vigilant of your surroundings.
- Avoid walking alone.
- Act swiftly if suspicious
- Don’t trust easily
- Use social media wisely
- Be ready for anything
- Use your phone
- Trust Your instincts.
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What can you do if you find out the strip club owner is involved in sex trafficking?
- Call 911 or contact your local police department or emergency access number.
- Call the toll-free (24/7) National Human Trafficking Resource Centre at 1-888-3737-888 (1-888-373-7888).
- Text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).
- Submit a tip online at http://www.traffickingresourcecenter.org/(link is external).
- Call toll-free (24/7) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 1-866-347-2423.
- Submit a tip online at http://www.ice.gov/tips.
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What is the age requirement to get a stripper license?
In the United States, you will need to be a US citizen who is over the age of 18 (over 21 at some clubs). You will need to provide proof that you are a citizen and you need to have some forms of identification.
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Is a stripper considered a sole proprietor?
No, a stripper does not usually have this power. In the United States, strippers are employees and not independent contractors.
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Do you need a federal tax id to be a stripper?
No, you don’t need a federal Tax ID to become a stripper. However, every dancer is different, and every entertainer has different things going on. She may be filing taxes under her business, or filing taxes under her own brand. Most performers are considered self-employed independent contractors, and they typically pay house fees to clubs for the opportunity to perform and earn cash tips.
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How do I get a job in a Las Vegas club as a stripper?
If you have ever thought about becoming a dancer at strip clubs Las Vegas, here is a guide to get you started.
- Think about Why You Want to Do It: Right Before you even head to strip clubs Las Vegas to apply for jobs, you need to ask yourself why you want to be a stripper in the first place.
- Get Your Outfit: If you decide that being a dancer in strip clubs Las Vegas is for you, then you should get an outfit together. The bare minimum you will need is a pair of heels and a G-string.
- Audition: Once you have your outfit selected, the next step is heading into strip clubs Las Vegas to audition for a job. Auditions will vary depending on the club.
- Choose a Name: Once you have been hired, you will not have long to come up with a stage name. This can be anything you want it to be as long as it is sexy.
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Is Las Vegas the dream workplace for strippers?
No, Los Angeles has always maintained its presence as the heaven for strippers in the United States. The pay and income is more attractive than Las Vegas, the clubs and work environment are more conducive.
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Why do people think strippers are into prostitution?
There seem to be an intersection between prostitution and strippers with many sex workers entering the industry through these two areas and switching between the two over the span of their careers. The difference between strippers and prostitutes comes from the difference between a legal act and illegal act.
Since stripping is legal is some form almost everywhere, there is the presence of regulation that protects the worker to certain extent. However, the line between the two is very gray and most people tend to think strippers are into prostitution.
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Must I give a lap dance as a stripper?
No, you can be on the floor as much as you want or not. If you want, you can sit in the dressing room the entire time. Or, you can be out there talking to people and making money. Every dollar a stripper makes is through tips or lap dances, the only paid strippers are ‘feature’ performers like porn stars or well known dancers who are headliners or used for advertising the club.
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Can strippers take alcohol while on the job?
The rules on alcohol tend to vary from strip club to strip club. In larger clubs like Miami and Las Vegas, drinking on the clock wasn’t just accepted, it was encouraged. However, it is easy to figure out why a drinking stripper is favoured over a sober one, from a customer’s POV and club management’s perspective. The more the dancer drinks, the more the customer drinks. And the more the customer drinks, the more money they will spend.
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Why do law enforcement agencies harass strippers?
- Drug abuse
- Contact with customer
- Club violence
- Prostitution
- Over drinking