Overview
- The City Council voted to repeal the ban in a 9-2 decision with one abstention and one absence on June 25, 2026.
- The ordinances remove the 1988 prohibition but do not allow bathhouses to open immediately because detailed zoning, licensing and health rules must still be written and approved.
- Mayor Jacob Frey must sign or veto the measures and he has previously indicated support, though a formal signature was pending after the council vote.
- Supporters and public-health groups say regulated venues could expand HIV testing, PrEP education and outreach and reduce stigma, while some council members and residents raised concerns about neighborhood impacts and the city’s capacity to enforce new rules.
- The repeal overturns an AIDS-era restriction tied to past policing, references events like the 1979 Locker Room raid, and begins a multi-step rulemaking process that will require further proposals, public hearings and council votes before any bathhouse could legally open.