[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of West Hartford 5-25-1982.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
General penalty — See Ch. 1, § 1-8.
Zoning — See Ch. 177, § 177-31.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Art. II, Mechanical Amusement Devices, of Ch. 3, Amusements, of the 1972 Code.
[Amended 9-9-2025]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
AMUSEMENT DEVICE
Any mechanical, electric or electronic device used or designed to be operated for entertainment or as a game by the insertion of a piece of money, coin, token or other article or by paying money to have it activated. For purposes of this definition, each station of a device which provides multiple stations, each of which allows separate games to be played, shall be considered one amusement device.
OPERATOR
Any person in whose premises an amusement device is placed for use by the public and shall include any agent of an owner or proprietor of the premises.
PERSON
A person, partnership, corporation, club or association.
[Amended 9-9-2025]
No person shall place or maintain any amusement device in any place within a permanent structure, open to the general public or occupied by any club or association, without first obtaining a license therefor.
[Amended 9-9-2025]
A. 
Application for or renewal of a license for amusement devices shall be made by the operator to the Chief of Police upon a form furnished by the Chief and shall contain information set out in this chapter under oath. If the operator is a partnership, all required information shall be listed for each partner. If the operator is a club, association or corporation, all required information shall be listed for each officer. Information to be contained on said application shall include:
(1) 
Name.
(2) 
Residence.
(3) 
Date of birth.
(4) 
Location and main use of premises to be licensed.
(5) 
Whether the operator has ever been convicted of a felony, sexual offense or gambling offense.
(6) 
Number, description, name of owners of all amusement devices to be licensed.
B. 
License fee. The license fee for each amusement device shall be $60 per device annually, which shall be prorated on a quarterly basis for any period of less than a year.
C. 
Issuance of license. The Chief of Police may issue an operator's license or a renewal of an operator's license to place up to seven amusement devices, but only after the Chief, or the Chief's designee, inspects the premises and determines that:
(1) 
The operator has not been convicted of a felony, sexual offense or gambling offense.
(2) 
The operator is at least 18 years of age.
(3) 
The Zoning Enforcement Officer has certified that the application meets all applicable zoning standards.
(4) 
The number and placement of the machines meets all requirements of all applicable statutes and ordinances.
(5) 
The appropriate license fees have been paid.
D. 
License renewable, not transferable. An operator's license shall be valid for not more than one year and shall expire on June 30 of each year. An operator's license may not be sold, assigned or otherwise transferred.
E. 
License to be posted. The operator's license shall be conspicuously posted in the operator's premises in the vicinity of the licensed amusement devices.
F. 
Replacement of device. A licensed operator may replace a device for which a license fee has been paid so long as he or she notifies the Police Chief and submits to the Chief the information set out in Subsection A(6) of this section. In such case, neither a new license nor any additional license fee shall be required.
Each operator shall maintain good order in the place of business and shall not permit the amusement devices to be used for gambling. A violation of this section by an agent or an employee of a licensee shall be deemed a violation hereof by the licensee.
The Police Chief shall also have the power to deny or revoke any license issued hereunder for cause after due notice in writing to the licensee. Cause shall be deemed to include but not be limited to conviction of a felony, sexual offense or gambling offense subsequent to the granting of the license or false information knowingly given in the application for a license or for any violation of this chapter. This authority shall be in addition to any other means of enforcement of Town ordinances.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 47-5, Distributor's license procedure, as amended 5-12-1987 and 6-28-1994, was repealed 9-9-2025. This ordinance also renumbered former § 47-6 as § 47-5.