[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Watertown
as §§ 9.13 and 9.20 of the former City Code. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Amended by Ord. No. 94-12; Ord. No. 98-15]
No person, business or corporation shall conduct, exhibit, operate
or maintain within the City any circus, roller skating rink, pool
or billiard hall, video game arcade, contest, concert or exhibit of
any natural or artificial curiosity, or any other show, device or
amusement to which admission may be had by the payment of a fee or
by the purchase, possession or presentation of a ticket or token obtained
for money, or in which a charge is made indirectly for admittance,
unless a license shall be obtained therefor. This section shall not
apply to events conducted by permanently organized clubs, societies
or corporations where the attendance is restricted to the members
of the society, club or corporation, or the guests thereof, and for
which the guests do not have to pay a fee. This section also shall
not apply to persons conducting public dances, operating bowling alleys,
operating businesses for which any of the various City liquor licenses
are required, or any other amusement for which a license is otherwise
required by the City. This section shall also not apply to any premises
having three or fewer video-arcade-type amusement devices.
[Amended 7-5-2022 by Ord. No. 22-63]
A.
Any person desiring to procure a license as herein provided shall
file with the City Clerk a written application upon a form furnished
by the City. Such application shall contain the names, residences
and ages of applicants if an individual, firm or partnership, or the
names of the principal officers, their residences and ages if the
applicant is an association or corporation. It shall also contain
the name or names of one or more persons whom such firm, partnership,
corporation or an association shall designate as manager or person
in charge, with the address or addresses of the same. Such application
shall further state the following:
(1)
Whether applicant has been convicted of violating any law regarding
the conduct of any public amusement and, if so, when and in what court.
(2)
The premises where such amusement is to be located or conducted,
giving street and number of all entrances, the location of the room
or rooms or space to be occupied and the total amount of space to
be used for such purpose.
(3)
Whether the applicant or applicants or manager had, either alone
or with someone else, previously engaged as owner or employee in conducting
any public amusement, when and where and for how long.
(4)
The name and address of the person owning the premises for which
a license is sought.
(5)
The specific nature of the amusement for which a license is sought.
(6)
Such other information as the City Clerk may from time to time require.
B.
The City Clerk shall refer such application to the Chief of Police,
Health Officer, Chief of the Fire Department and Building Inspector,
who shall inspect or cause to be inspected each application to determine
whether the place sought to be licensed complies with the regulations,
ordinances and laws applicable thereto and is a proper place for the
purpose for which it is to be used. These officials shall furnish
to the City Clerk in writing the information derived from such investigation,
accompanied by a recommendation as to whether a license should be
granted or refused.
A.
Upon the filing of the application and the information as provided
in the previous section, the City Clerk may, upon his approval of
such application and the payment to the City of the proper license
fee, issue to the applicant a license to conduct and maintain a public
amusement. No license is to be refused except for a specific reason
and for the protection of the public safety, health, morals or general
welfare.
[Amended 7-5-2022 by Ord. No. 22-63]
B.
Every license issued to conduct a public amusement shall specify
the time of its duration and shall be of no validity after the expiration
of such time.
C.
All licenses shall be numbered in the order in which they are issued
and shall state clearly the location, the exact nature of the amusement,
the dates of issuance and expiration of the license, the fee paid
and the name of the licensee. No applicant to whom a license has been
refused shall make further application until a period of at least
six months shall have elapsed since the last previous rejection, unless
he can show that the reason for such objection no longer exists. No
license shall be granted to a person under 18 years of age or renewed
without a reinspection of the premises.
D.
It shall be the duty of the City Clerk to keep in a book provided
for that purpose a record of all licenses issued by him, showing when
and to whom the same was issued, the amount paid therefor and when
the same shall expire.
[Amended 7-5-2022 by Ord. No. 22-63]
License fees as set by the Common Council and provided under
separate fee schedule shall be charged for the following:
A.
For the exhibition of a circus or menagerie.
B.
For the operation of a roller skating rink.
C.
For the operation of a carnival or other type of entertainment featuring
rides or amusements or games of chance.
D.
For the operation and maintenance of pool halls and billiard rooms,
video game arcades, games, contests or any other type of amusements.
No license is to be issued for a period of less than one month.
[Amended by Ord. No. 83-16; Ord. No. 95-77; Ord. No. 96-19]
[Amended 7-5-2022 by Ord. No. 22-63]
No transfer of license as to location or ownership shall be
granted except after application therefor upon a form provided by
the City Clerk who may grant or reject such application after investigation.
If the application for transfer is approved, this action shall be
endorsed upon the license by the City Clerk.
[Amended 7-5-2022 by Ord. No. 22-63]
Every person licensed hereunder shall immediately post such
license and keep same posted while in force in a conspicuous place
on the premises mentioned in the application for such license. No
person shall post such license upon premises other than those mentioned
in the application or knowingly deface or destroy any such license.
Whenever a license shall be lost or destroyed without fault on the
part of the holder or its agent or employees, a duplicate license
in lieu thereof under the original application may be issued by the
City Clerk.
[Amended by Ord. No. 82-15]
Any person who shall violate any provision of this chapter shall be subject to a penalty as provided in § 1-4 of this Code. Each violation and each day a violation continues or occurs shall constitute a separate offense. This action shall not preclude the City from maintaining any appropriate action to prevent or remove a violation of this chapter.
