Chapter 5.20
PUBLIC DANCES
Sections:
5.20.020 Permit and licenses required for hall.
5.20.100 Booth or enclosures--Soft-drink service.
5.20.110 Lewd, suggestive or unusual dancing.
5.20.120 Endurance contests--Carrying on.
5.20.130 Endurance contests--Participating in.
5.20.150 Responsibility of operator unaffected.
5.20.160 Access by law enforcement officers.
5.20.170 Sanitation--Adjoining rooms or passages.
5.20.010 Defined.
A "public dance," within the meaning of this chapter, is any dance conducted in any public hall or place as a business for profit, which is operated continuously or for a greater portion of the time, or at all, as a business for profit, whether the admission is charged at the door, by the sale of tickets, or by any other method whatsoever. (Ord. 200 §1, 1974)
5.20.020 Permit and licenses required for hall.
No person shall carry on a public dancehall without first having secured such permits and licenses as are required by the city. (Ord. 200 §2, 1974)
5.20.030 License fee.
A license fee of five dollars per dance, in addition to the regular business license fee, shall be paid to the city clerk for each public dance. Any application for permit or license for public dances shall be made to the city clerk at least three weeks prior to the holding of the public dance. (Ord. 200 §18, 1974)
5.20.040 Exemptions.
This chapter shall have no application to dances held by public or educational agencies or bona fide patriotic organizations, religious organizations, fraternal organizations, dance clubs that meet on a regular basis or dance schools where classic or ballet dancing is held. Nor shall this chapter apply to any private dance; that is, a dance which is not advertised publicly and to which the general public is not invited and for which no admission is charged or offer solicited or accepted or any collection taken therefor and where nothing of value is requested or required for admission other than membership in the club for and by whom the dance is given and admission to which is limited to members and guests of members of the club for and by whom the dance is given. (Ord. 200 §3, 1974)
5.20.050 Dancehall rules.
The city council may make rules governing the operation of public dancehalls and any license issued for any public dancehall where the proprietor or person in charge thereof violates or permits any infraction of such rules shall be subject to revocation for violation of such rules. The city council shall determine the rules and regulations to govern the dancehalls and shall set forth the policy to the chief of police, who shall have charge of the enforcement of the rules and regulations. (Ord. 200 §4, 1974)
5.20.060 Hours--Frequency.
No public dance shall be held between the hours of one-thirty a.m. and eight-thirty p.m. of any day and no public dance shall be held more often than once in each seven-day period. (Ord. 200 §5, 1974)
5.20.070 Illumination.
Every public dancehall shall be lighted or illuminated in such a manner and to such an extent as is usual or customary for lighting or illuminating halls or rooms of like dimensions in the nighttime for public assemblies. Such lighting or illumination shall be maintained thereafter throughout the entire time while such dancing is in progress without diminution and without interruption until such dance is concluded and until such dancers leave the premises. (Ord. 200 §6, 1974)
5.20.080 Intoxicating liquor.
No person shall bring to any public dancehall or to any public dance any intoxicating liquor nor shall any person possess any intoxicating liquor at any public dancehall. (Ord. 200 §7, 1974)
5.20.090 Age.
A. No person under the age of sixteen years of age shall enter, be in or dance in any public dancehall. No parent, guardian or proprietor or person in charge of any public dancehall shall permit any person under the age of sixteen years to enter, be in or dance in any public dancehall.
B. No person shall represent himself or herself as being sixteen years of age or over, when in fact his or her age is less than sixteen years. No person shall falsely represent himself or herself as a parent or legal guardian of any minor person in order to facilitate their admittance to a public dancehall.
C. However, if a teen dance is held and so advertised, the public dance shall be restricted to persons from fourteen years of age through nineteen years of age, excluding their escorts. However, no parent or guardian of any person attending such dance shall be restricted from entering the dance. Once the dance is commenced, any person leaving the premises shall not be readmitted unless good cause, as determined by the proprietor, exists for the allowance of reentry. (Ord. 200 §8, 1974)
5.20.100 Booth or enclosures--Soft-drink service.
There shall be no booths, alcoves or enclosures of any kind in a public dancehall, excepting only toilet facilities and excepting also office rooms to which patrons shall not have access. A public dancehall that maintains soft-drink service shall be permitted to have tables and chairs for the convenience of patrons, provided that such tables and chairs are in a fully lighted room and not shut off from the main dancehall by doors, curtains or any partition other than clear glass. Any room used for soft-drink service in connection with a public dancehall must be large enough to accommodate no fewer than twelve persons. (Ord. 200 §9, 1974)
5.20.110 Lewd, suggestive or unusual dancing.
A. No person shall dance in a lewd, suggestive or unusual manner, nor shall any lewd or improper person enter or remain in, or be permitted to enter or remain in, any public dancehall, or smoke on a dance floor.
B. Any patron of a dancehall who violates any of the provisions of this section or any rules of the council pertaining thereto may be excluded from the dancehall by the management or by any member of the police department. (Ord. 200 §10, 1974)
5.20.120 Endurance contests--Carrying on.
No person shall carry on any so-called marathon dancing contest, exhibition or race or any contest or exhibition of endurance in dancing, or any walkathon or any contest of a similar nature within the city. (Ord. 200 §11, 1974)
5.20.130 Endurance contests--Participating in.
No person shall participate in any so-called marathon dancing contest or exhibition or race, or in any contest or exhibition of endurance in dancing or any walkathon, or any contest of a similar nature within the city. (Ord. 200 §12, 1974)
5.20.140 Policemen required.
At each public dance there shall be at least two city policemen in attendance and their hourly salaries shall be paid by the proprietor or the operator of the public dance. If the chief of police in his discretion believes that more city policemen shall be in attendance the hourly salaries of the additional policemen shall be paid by the operator of the public dance. (Ord. 200 §13, 1974)
5.20.150 Responsibility of operator unaffected.
The presence of any policemen at any such public dancehall shall not relieve the proprietor thereof, or any of his employees, from the responsibility of the provisions of this chapter or for violations of any law or ordinance or lawful rule of the chief of police or from responsibility for maintaining decency and order in the public dancehall. (Ord. 200 §14, 1974)
5.20.160 Access by law enforcement officers.
Any peace officer of the city of Angels or the state of California or any officer of the United States Government charged with the duty of enforcing the public laws of the United States Government shall have free access at all times to any dancehall licensed under the provisions of this chapter. (Ord. 200 §15, 1974)
5.20.170 Sanitation--Adjoining rooms or passages.
The holder of the license of a dancehall licensed under this chapter shall keep such dancehall in a clean, healthful and sanitary condition at all times and have the stairways and passages and all rooms and places connecting with such dancehall at all times open and well lighted. (Ord. 200 §16, 1974)
5.20.180 Smoking.
No person shall be permitted to smoke or carry in his hand a lighted cigar, cigarette or pipe in any public dancehall or in the hallways leading to such dancehall at any time a dance is in progress or during the intermissions therein; provided, however, that it is not unlawful to smoke in any smoking room connected with the dancehall; provided further, that where a dancehall is located on the ground floor and loges located upon the same floor are equipped with suitable smoking facilities, smoking may be permitted in such loges upon approval of the chief of the fire department. (Ord. 200 §17, 1974)
5.20.190 Violation--Penalty.
A. Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter is guilty of an infraction and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars, and for a second offense occurring within a one-year period a fine of one hundred dollars, and for a third offense occurring within one year a fine of two hundred fifty dollars. The city council of the city of Angels is authorized, for any cause which it may deem sufficient, to revoke at any time any license issued under the provisions of this chapter.
B. A conviction for a violation of any of the terms or provisions of this chapter shall work an immediate forfeiture of a permit or license authorized by this ordinance and in case of such forfeiture, no permit or license shall be granted to the person violating the provisions of this chapter within one year of such conviction.
C. If at any time, for any cause, the license of a public dancehall is forfeited or revoked, at least one month must elapse before another license or permit shall be given for dancing unless the city council has good cause to decide otherwise. (Ord. 200 §19, 1974)