[Approved 12-11-1969 by Ch. No. 1236]
[Amended 10-24-1996 by Ch. No. 2427]
No person, firm, corporation or association shall publicly or for pay or for any profit or advantage to himself exhibit or promote any theatrical performance, festival, show, exhibition or other entertainment without first obtaining a license therefor from the City Council of the City of Pawtucket.
Any license issued in accordance with the provisions of this article shall be renewed upon change of said performance, show or exhibition, subject, however, to the payment of the appropriate fee as established by ordinance.
[Amended 4-7-1994 by Ch. No. 2346]
A. 
Application for license shall be submitted to the City Council at least 45 days prior to the first time appointed for the initial exhibition of the performance, festival, show, exhibition or other entertainment. Said application shall contain the title or a description of said performance, festival, show, exhibition or other entertainment.
[Amended 10-24-1996 by Ch. No. 2427]
B. 
At the time of the filing of the application, the exhibitor shall make available for viewing by the City Council the performance, show or exhibition. If at the filing of the application the performance, show or exhibition is not available for viewing, the City Council may return the application for the performance, show or exhibition to the exhibitor without prejudice to the exhibitor for its resubmission at any time the performance, show or exhibition is available for viewing.
[Amended 4-7-1994 by Ch. No. 2346; 7-25-1996 by Ch. No. 2420]
The City Council or the City Clerk, shall cause a preliminary investigation to be made by the Director of Public Safety or a appointed agent to determine the legitimacy and safety of a performance, show or exhibition in accordance with the applicable General Laws of the State of Rhode Island, and said Director of Public Safety shall cause a report to be made forthwith. Such report shall consist of a critical review based upon a compilation of all available information relating to such performance, show or exhibition. Such factors to be considered in the report include traffic, parking, impact on surrounding neighborhood, safety of equipment used in performance and other facts deemed important by the Public Safety Director or Council. In the event that said report reflects the same to be controversial with regard to obscenity, the City Council may cause a viewing of said performance, show or exhibition prior to its licensing. A view of said questionable performance, show or exhibition shall be made by members of the City Council, the Public Safety Director or his or her duly appointed agent and an attorney of the Law Department of the City of Pawtucket, and they shall determine whether or not there is probable cause of obscenity. Said determination of probable obscenity shall be based upon whether to the average person applying contemporary community standards the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest and has no social redeeming value. In the event that it is determined that said license should not be granted on the ground that the said performance, show or exhibition is probably obscene, then and in such an event the City Council shall authorize the City Solicitor to commence an action to determine said obscenity. Said action shall be commenced within 48 hours of the filing of said application in the Superior Court for Providence and Bristol Counties pursuant to the provisions of R.I.G.L. § 5-22-5, as amended.
[Added 7-10-2025 by Ch. No. 3320]
Additional temporary mass gathering permit shall be required for events when the actual or reasonably anticipated assembly of 500 or more people and continues. or reasonably can be expected to continue, for two or more hours per day: or an event that requires a more extensive review to protect public health and safety because the event's nature or conditions have the potential of generating environmental or health risks.
A. 
Includes, but is not limited to, "special events" as defined in the food code regulations promulgated by RIDOH. and festivals and concerts, as set forth in § 193-1.
B. 
Shall not include an assembly of people at a location with permanent facilities designed for that specific assembly.