Abstract: Sex is now a major driver of the global economy. World cities such as London, Tokyo, New York, and increasingly, Sydney, have a vested interest in legitimising the sex industry and the premises upon which it is based as revenue-generating source. This paper considers a variety of definitions and classifications of sex industry premises within NSW. In order to regulate effectively in the future, policy-makers need to define activities accurately to reduce ambiguity and minimise problems in a highly contentious industry. There is a need to establish boundaries in defining these complex entities and to understand the operation of these premises, ensuring that they are assessed within appropriate planning frameworks. Divided into two broad sections, the paper first explores sex industry activities and its stakeholders and is then followed by a discussion of sex industry premises in detail. In New South Wales (NSW), one of the major issues associated with the sex industry includes problematic land uses. The Development Control Plan (DCP) for the City of Sydney (COS) is one of the first within NSW to adopt specific and appropriate terminology in order to define sex industry premises. As sex is becoming increasingly commercialised, mainstream, and visible on the ‘high street', there is a need for the state to identify and regulate such activities (like gambling) in order to ensure that they become a source of revenue and that their externalities are controlled. At an estimated $1.22 billion dollars from 2008-2009, the sex industry in Australia clearly has a significant impact on the economy. This paper is a starting point for understanding issues that planners face in professional practice in the assessment of sex industry premises.