Laws for Topless Dancing in Dallas and Ft worth TX

[raven1974411]

I am a dancer in DFW TX and need to know the laws or where to find them...
I have tried the search engines but am not sure what to look under.
The only thing any of the managers ever tell me is no touching customers.... I know there is other this I can go to jail for and $1 on stage or a lapdance is not worth jail time to me..


Thanks!!!!!

[Club Security]

Hello All and Hello RaVen,

I have a couple of clients in the Dallas area. One of them is an adult entertainment club.

About a year ago, Dallas enacted a “No Touch” policy for any “Performance”. The no touch policy is pretty clear. Basically, no touching from dancers to customers and no touching from customers to dancers during any dance performance. A performance, in the eyes of the Dallas codes means while the dancer is on stage in the real performance AND while the dancer is performing on the club floor after getting a customer to buy a private dance.

Now, if the dancer is done performing on the stage and is just wondering around the club floor talking to good customers she is not performing. She may talk to customers, touch their shoulders or sit on their laps…she is not performing. However, as soon as the customer is excited enough to pay for a private dance in the corner of the club, the dancer is now performing and the no touch policy can be enforced.

Some of the other changes with that law: Stage dance area to customer area should be 6 feet. Also, any stage must be 3 feet high; this includes tables used for table dancing.

Penalties have also changed. The old violations were Class “C” misdemeanors or the lowest kind of crime. The law changed that also. They are now Class “A” misdemeanors or the highest. A Class “A” misdemeanor carries a penalty of a fine or jail time or both.

I know, I know…this law has been around for a year and touching is still going on in some clubs. Trust me, Dallas PD Licensing Detectives are issuing citations to clubs they find violations of the no touching law. They even know that some of the cases will be fought and appealed.

As for Ft. Worth, I don't have any answers for you there except to say I know nearby Arlignton has recently adopted a similar no touch policy. I would expect that if Ft. Worth has not they will because if they don't, clubs will expose that weakness quickly. No pun intended.

So RAVEN, your going to have to make a decision. And the decisions will not stop after just one time. You never know when the police will be watching or will be the customer. The odds are in your favor simply because there are so few enforcement officers. Do you feel lucky?

Good luck,

Robert
Nightclub Security Consultants

[Andrew]

Do you feel lucky? Ouch!

[Club Security]

Sorry, I couldn't resist...

Robert
Nightclub Security Consultants

[Club Security]

Hello All,

As for Ft. Worth. I called a police friend and asked him the question.

He told me that Ft. Worth does not have the same rules as Dallas and Arlington. They don't have the "No Touch" rule and don't have a restriction on dance floor distances.

I said; " If I was a customer and as the dancer came by me and stopped, I reached out and caressed her leg and thigh, would that be a problem in Ft. Worth?" He told me no. He did say that if the customer touched any body part that is described in the their municipal code as a "Sexual Area" that would be a crime. He told me that is a state offense. Something like a lewd act in public. A misdemeanor, but a crime.

Hope that helps RaVen.

Robert
Nightclub Security Consultants