[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Mount Holly 7-7-1980 as Sec. 5-5 of Ch. V of the Revised General Ordinances. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Loitering — See Ch. 161.
Amusement devices — See Ch. 71.
No person shall pursue the business or occupation of keeping any billiard room or poolroom in the Township until the proprietor thereof shall have first obtained from the Township Council, as herein provided, a license to carry on and conduct the same and shall have paid the amount of the license fee, as herein fixed, to the Township Clerk.
Applications for licenses shall be filed with the Township Clerk on forms to be furnished by the Clerk, which forms shall show the following:
A. 
The name of the applicant.
B. 
The present residence of the applicant and how long residing at the present residence.
C. 
The date of birth of the applicant and place of birth of the applicant.
D. 
The location of the premises to be licensed and also a description of the premises to be licensed.
E. 
The number of tables to be licensed.
F. 
Whether or not the applicant owns the premises where the business is to be operated and, if not, the name and address of the owner.
G. 
If the applicant is a corporation, the names and addresses of the officers and stockholders and the name and address of the registered agent.
H. 
Whether or not the person making application or any of his employees or, where the applicant is a corporation, whether or not any of the officers or stockholders have ever been convicted of a crime or violation of any municipal ordinance or regulation involving moral turpitude.
I. 
The names of any persons who shall have a financial interest in the business.
J. 
The names of the persons to be employed in the business.
All licenses herein provided for shall be granted by the Township Council and issued by the Township Clerk, and all licenses shall be valid from February 1 of the year in which the license is issued until January 31 of the following year, unless sooner revoked.
Licenses shall bear the date of issue, the name of the person to whom issued and the purpose for which they are severally issued and the location of the room or building wherein the licensee is authorized to carry on and conduct any business. The license may be transferred by the holder to another address, provided that the licensee makes application, in writing, for the transfer to the Township Clerk and obtains the approval of the Township Council and pays the appropriate transfer fee.
[Amended 12-22-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-29; 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-06]
The fees to be paid for a license to carry on and conduct any billiard room and/or poolroom shall be $2,000 for each pool table or each billiard table. The transfer fee shall be $2,000. All fees shall be paid before or at the time of application, and no fee or proportionate part thereof shall be returned or refunded.
The Township Council shall refuse to grant a license to any person previously convicted of a crime or violation of any municipal ordinance or regulation, the nature of which would indicate the unfitness of such person to operate a billiard room or poolroom when the public morals, health, safety and general welfare are considered; or who shall have associates with a financial interest in the business who have previously been convicted of a crime or violation of any municipal ordinance or regulation, the nature of which would indicate their unfitness to operate a billiard room or poolroom when the public morals, health, safety and general welfare are considered; or who shall have employees who have been convicted of a crime or violation of any municipal ordinance or regulation, the nature of which would indicate their unfitness to work in a poolroom or billiard room when the public morals, health, safety and general welfare are considered; or where the applicant is a corporation, where any of the officers or stockholders or employees of said corporation have been convicted of a crime or violation of any municipal ordinance or regulation, the nature of which would indicate their unfitness to operate or be employed in a billiard room or poolroom when the public morals, health, safety and general welfare are considered; or where good cause appears to deny the applicant a license when his general background and history are considered in the light of the nature of the business of operating a poolroom or billiard room and the need to protect the public morals, health, safety and general welfare of the inhabitants of the Township.
The license, when granted, shall be posted and conspicuously displayed in the place of the business of the licensee.
Minors under the age of 16 years shall under no circumstances frequent, loiter, go or remain in any hall licensed hereunder at any time, unless it be upon some lawful errand and sent under the direction and consent and knowledge of the parent, guardian or other person having the lawful custody of the minor, and it shall be unlawful for the proprietor of any hall so licensed to allow or permit any minor to frequent, loiter or remain within the hall in violation of this section.
The Township Council shall have the power to revoke any license when the licensee is found guilty of a crime or violation of a municipal ordinance or regulation which reflects adversely on the operation or manner or conduct of a poolroom or billiard room; or when the licensee shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter or when the Township Council shall have good cause for revoking the license, considering the nature of the business of operating a poolroom or billiard room and the need to protect the morals, safety, health and general welfare of the inhabitants of the Township. If the Township Council shall have reason to believe that there are grounds upon which to revoke any license they shall immediately suspend the license and shall cause a notice to be served, in writing, upon the licensee or other person in charge of the licensed place, citing him to appear before the Township Council at such time and place as they designate, to show cause why the license should not be revoked, such notice to be served at least five days prior to the date set for the hearing, and the licensee shall be afforded a hearing before the Township Council prior to the final revocation of his license.
Every place of business for which a license is granted under this chapter shall not open before 9:00 a.m. and shall be closed at 1:00 a.m. every day except Saturday when they shall close at midnight and remain closed until the following Monday morning.
The licenses to be issued pursuant to this chapter shall be limited to one in number.
[Added 6-22-1992 by Ord. No. 1992-5; amended 12-22-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-29; 6-13-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-06]
Any person in violation of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,000 or imprisonment for a term of not more than 90 days, or both.