TAMPA — Hillsborough County could soon begin enforcing rules governing conduct at strip clubs and bikini bars, after winning a legal battle Thursday.

The 11th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld three county ordinances adopted two years ago that require licenses for dancers and club owners, set minimum sizes for the rooms in which they perform and impose other restrictions.

The county ordinances were predicated on the idea that strip clubs cause harmful secondary effects that warrant government regulation of the manner in which they operate.

The parent companies of two east Hillsborough bikini bars, Tootsies and Showgirls, challenged that premise. They argued that the county amassed junk studies to make their case that the bars spin off crime.

However, in a strongly worded order, the appellate court found that the bar owners failed to prove it.

Attempts to reach Luke Lirot, a lawyer for the bars, were unsuccessful.

County Attorney Renee Lee said the ruling was a strong validation of the county’s ordinances. The county has not enforced the rules while the issue has been making its way through court.