[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Elmsford 5-22-1940.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Games of chance — See Ch.
186.
[Amended 9-8-1981 by L.L. No. 7-1981]
No mechanically, manually or electrically operated amusement device
which complies with the Penal Law of the State of New York shall be kept,
sold, rented, leased or let on shares, lent or given away, maintained, used,
exhibited or operated in or upon any premises within the corporate limits
of the Village of Elmsford, unless both the owner thereof and the person upon
whose premises the same shall be kept, maintained, used, exhibited or operated
shall first obtain a license therefor, as herein provided.
The owner of any such amusement device or his duly authorized agent
acting in his behalf, who desires to distribute, sell, rent, lease or let
on shares, lend or give away or place any such device for use in or upon any
premises within the corporate limits of the Village of Elmsford shall make
a verified application to the Village Clerk for such license, upon blanks
to be furnished by said Clerk, giving the name and address of the applicant,
the name and address of the manufacturer of the device, the manufacturer's
number, if any, a complete detailed description of the device, including all
the mechanical features thereof, the method of its operation, whether the
possession and use of such a device is forbidden by law, the name and address
of the person having responsible charge of the premises upon which the device
is proposed to be located, kept, maintained, exhibited, used or operated,
the location of said premises by street and number, the nature, use and kind
of business conducted thereon, and the number of devices already licensed
upon said premises, and such further or other information in the premises
as the Village Clerk may deem reasonably necessary. The application shall
also contain a statement indicating whether or not any previous application
has been made and whether any license has been refused, suspended or revoked.
The person upon whose premises the same is proposed to be located, kept, maintained,
exhibited, used or operated shall join in such verified application, and in
addition to the information required from the owner or distributor as aforesaid,
such person shall be required to state whether he has ever been convicted
of any crime or of any gambling offense against the laws of the State of New
York of the Village of Elmsford.
Said application shall be referred by the Village Clerk to the Chief
of Police of the Village of Elmsford for his recommendation and investigation.
Such investigation shall include an inquiry by him as to the reputation and
character of both the owner or distributor, and of the person in responsible
charge of the premises upon which the device is proposed to be located, kept,
maintained, exhibited, used or operated, and the character thereof, and whether
the possession and use of such device is forbidden by law. The Chief of Police
shall return the application within a reasonable time to the Village Clerk
with his recommendation as to approval or disapproval thereof.
[Amended 6-6-1983 by L.L. No. 3-1983]
Prior to the issuance of such license, there shall be paid to the Treasurer
of the Village of Elmsford by the owner or operator of each device for which
application for license has been made, the sum of $100 per year or any part
thereof, per location, and there shall be paid by the person in responsible
charge of the premises upon which the device is proposed to be located, kept,
maintained, exhibited, used or operated, an additional sum of $10 per year
or any part thereof for each such device. All such licenses shall expire on
December 31 next following issue. This licensing law shall not be applied
to a distributor or the machines being warehoused by him and used in the regular
course of his business.
The license, which shall specify thereon the fee paid therefor, shall
be signed by the Mayor and countersigned by the Clerk of the Village of Elmsford,
who shall keep a record thereof and of the amount of the fee paid therefor.
Upon presentation of such license to the Treasurer of the village, so signed
and countersigned, the payment to the Treasurer of such fee, the Treasurer
shall endorse thereon his receipt of the license fee, and the license shall
not take effect until the receipt of the Treasurer shall have been endorsed
thereon.
The right and authority to issue a license shall vest in the sound discretion
of the Mayor of the Village of Elmsford. Any applicant who shall have been
refused such license by the Mayor may apply to the Board of Trustees therefor
at a meeting thereof, and the same may be granted or refused by the Board.
The Mayor and/or the Chief of Police may suspend any such license until the
next meeting of the Board of Trustees, and thereupon said license may be revoked
or continued by the Board.
Not more than two of such devices shall be licensed at any one time
for use in any one place.
[Amended 6-6-1983 by L.L. No. 4-1983]
No license shall be granted for any premises which shall be on the same
street or avenue and within 200 feet of a building occupied exclusively as
a school, church, synagogue or other place of worship; the measurements to
be taken in a straight line from the center of the nearest entrance to such
school, church, synagogue or other place of worship, to the center of the
nearest entrance of the premises to be licensed. No machines shall be in operation
during school hours or during the hours of worship on Saturday and Sunday.
No such licensed device shall be operated or permitted to be operated
for any use or purpose prohibited by law.
Each said device shall have affixed thereto at all times, in a prominent
place thereon, while in any premises in the Village of Elmsford, a tag or
seal, which shall bear a serial number, the license number and the name and
address of the owner thereof, and no such tag or seal may be removed from
one device and transferred and affixed to another. Any such device for which
a license has been issued, which shall have been taken out of use in the Village
of Elmsford, shall not be placed back in use again until a new license has
been issued for the same. Such devices may be, from time to time, but not
exceeding 12 times in any one year, changed and new devices placed in operation,
but before said change shall be made or a new device placed in operation,
the owner or operator of said device or devices and the person in responsible
charge of the premises upon which the device is maintained shall comply with
every provision of this chapter, except as to the payment of any additional
fee therefor.
Each license issued pursuant to this chapter may be renewed upon application
therefor by the licensee and the payment of the annual fee for such license
as prescribed by this chapter. In the case of applications for renewals, the
Village Clerk may dispense with the requirement of such statements as he deems
unnecessary, in view of those contained in the application made for the original
license. The Village Clerk may make such rules as may be necessary, not inconsistent
with this chapter, regarding applications for renewals of licenses and the
time for making the same.
Any license issued pursuant to this chapter may be revoked for cause
and must be revoked for any of the following causes:
A. The violation of any of the provisions of this chapter.
B. For making any false material statement in an application
for a license.
C. For transferring, assigning or hypothecating a license.
D. For the violation of any law, ordinance, rule or regulation
of any governmental officer, agency or department covering or applicable to
the maintenance or conduct of the premises upon which said device is located.
E. For the violation of any law, ordinance, rule or regulation
governing or applicable to the maintenance, possession, use or operation of
the licensed device.
F. Upon the conviction of the owner or distributor of the
device, or of the person in responsible charge of the premises in which the
licensed device is located, for a violation of Article 88 of the Penal Law of the State of New York with reference to gambling.
Within three days after a license shall have been revoked pursuant to
this chapter, a notice thereof shall be given to the licensee by mailing such
notice, addressed to him at the premises whereon the licensed device is located.
Notice shall also be mailed to the owner or distributor of the device. The
holder of such license shall thereupon surrender the same to the Village Clerk.
The mailing thereof by the holder of the license to the Village Clerk by registered
mail or insured parcel post shall be deemed sufficient compliance with this
section. The Village Clerk, immediately upon giving notice of revocation,
shall serve a written notice thereof upon the Chief of Police of the village.
Such notice shall include a statement of the number of such license, the name
and place of residence of the holder of the license, the location of the premises
upon which the licensed device is located, and the date when such license
was revoked. In case such license be not forthwith surrendered, the Village
Clerk shall issue a written demand for the surrender of such license and shall
deliver such demand to the Chief of Police, and said Chief of Police shall
immediately take possession of such license and return the same to the Village
Clerk.
This chapter may be amended, revised or repealed by the Board of Trustees
in the manner provided by law.
This chapter shall be known by the short form title of "Amusement Device
Ordinance of the Village of Elmsford, New York."
Any person or persons, firm, association or corporation
violating any of the provisions of this chapter or any part thereof shall
be liable for and pay a penalty for each violation of not exceeding $100 for
each offense. Upon such conviction, all licenses possessed by said convicted
person shall be automatically revoked and all moneys paid therefor shall be
automatically forfeited.