MANATEE COUNTY — Everyone expects a cab driver, a doctor and even a barber to be required to have a license.

But the clerk behind the counter of the local porn shop?

It’s true in Bradenton, where employees at adult bookstores and sex boutiques must now carry county-issued licenses while on the job.

County officials say the move gives them more control over the businesses, ensuring employees haven’t been recently convicted of prostitution or drug offenses.

But critics say the licensing requirement relies on unfair stereotypes about sexually oriented businesses, intrudes on employees’ privacy and could hinder the recruitment of employees.

“It’s invasive and unfair because it puts the individuals under a greater burden than anyone else,” said Luke Lirot, a Tampa attorney who represents several of the local businesses.

The licensing rules are part of a new adult entertainment ordinance that took effect in May. Enforcement began this month for sexually oriented businesses except for three strip clubs that are suing over the ordinance. The county has agreed to suspend enforcement until the lawsuit is settled.

Requiring licenses for businesses is nothing new in Manatee County, but the new ordinance compels individuals to get them, too.

The licenses, which include a photo, address, date of birth and expiration date, require a background check for prostitution, drug or lewd and lascivious offenses within the past five years and an initial fee of $50 per person.

They’re good for one year and can be renewed for $25. Businesses are also required to obtain licenses, which cost $100 a year and require proof that the businesses meet ordinance requirements regulating lighting, floor layout and hours of operation.

The licenses include a large rendition of the Manatee County logo of a ship and setting sun, and a notice that the card “must be in the employee’s possession while on duty.”

So far, about a dozen temporary licenses have been issued to employees at X.T.C. Adult Supercenter on Cortez Road and Adult Fun Shop on 14th Street West.

The county’s Community Services department, which is issuing the licenses, has sent letters to a handful of other businesses in an effort to determine which fall under the new code, said department Director Fred Loveland.

Figuring out ambiguities in the rules and how to enforce the rules could take awhile, he said.

Loveland estimates there are about 100 employees of sexually oriented businesses in the county.

The county began working on the new rules shortly after a federal appeals court found problems with an earlier ruling in favor of the county’s old adult entertainment code.

The court said the county defined nudity too broadly and didn’t supply evidence that adult businesses lead to an increase in crime, which the county used to justify minimum clothing requirements and searches of the clubs without warrants.

“The county felt a need to govern these places,” Loveland said.

Angelina Spencer, executive director of the Association of Club Executives, said the licensing puts the names of employees into the public record, infringing on their privacy.

But she says the requirement could also “legitimize the industry” and reverse the nuisance reputation the county has tried to attach to the businesses.