Delaware is a small state with only a few strip clubs, spread along its main north–south highways. Two separate sets of state rules apply — one for adult entertainment and one for alcohol. This guide sums up both and lists the Delaware clubs in our directory.
How Delaware regulates strip clubs
Adult entertainment is covered by Title 24, Chapter 16 of the Delaware Code. Venues serving alcohol must also follow the liquor laws in Title 4, enforced by the Office of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commissioner. The main points:
- A state licence is required. No one may run an adult entertainment establishment without a licence from the Commission on Adult Entertainment Establishments. Each licence lasts one year, covers only the address named on it and cannot be transferred. Applicants and employees go through criminal background checks.
- Strict distance rules for new venues. A new establishment may not open within 1,500 feet of another one, within 500 feet of a residence, or within 2,800 feet of a church or school, measured property line to property line. Since 23 July 2019, a new venue also may not open in a building that previously housed an adult business.
- Opening hours. The statute limits adult entertainment establishments to 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and bars them from opening on Sundays and legal holidays, with an exemption for certain businesses regulated under both Chapter 16 and the alcohol title on or before 1 January 1997. Actual hours therefore vary from club to club.
- 21 and over where alcohol is served. Under Title 4, § 904, no one under 21 may enter or work in a tavern or taproom offering sexually oriented entertainment, including any bar advertised as a “strip club” or “gentlemen’s club”.
- Liquor licences are at risk. Under Title 4, § 561, the Commissioner may suspend a licence or fine a licensee who maintains a noisy, lewd, disorderly or unsanitary establishment, and can cancel it for repeated violations.
Wilmington
- Hak’s Sports Bar — 1050 S Market St, Wilmington, DE 19801
Dover and Smyrna
- Chase Lounge — 4123 North Dupont Hwy, Dover (listed as a bikini bar)
- Fairways Inn — 4167 S Dupont Blvd, Smyrna, DE 19977
Seaford
- Crazy 8’s Bikini Lounge — 704 Norman Eskridge Hwy, Seaford, DE 19973
What to check before you go
- Call ahead to confirm hours and that the club is open. State law sets hours for adult entertainment establishments, but some older venues are exempt, and clubs can close or change owners.
- Bring valid photo ID. Venues that serve alcohol and advertise as strip clubs or gentlemen’s clubs are 21 and over by law.
- Follow the house rules. A club’s liquor licence can be suspended over a lewd or disorderly establishment, so staff enforce conduct and contact rules firmly.