Beverly Hills Municipal Code Art. 3 Dances

No person shall conduct or carry on public dancing, and no person owning, controlling or managing any premises within the city shall allow public dancing upon such premises without a public dance permit. The public dance permit shall be issued under the provisions of chapter 1, article 1, of this title. The planning commission shall be the reviewing authority for applications to permit dancing in nightclubs within the business triangle and the director of finance shall be the reviewing authority for all other public dance permit applications. If in the opinion of the director of finance a public dance permit application, for which the director is the reviewing authority, merits review by the city council, the director may refer such application to the city council, and the city council shall serve as the reviewing authority and shall conduct a noticed public hearing regarding the requested permit. For the purposes of this section, the "business triangle" shall mean the area bounded by the centerline of Wilshire Boulevard, the centerline of Santa Monica Boulevard, south roadway, and the centerline of the alley between Canon Drive and Crescent Drive. (1962 Code § 4-3.01 et seq.; amd. Ord. 98-O-2295, eff. 5-1-1998)

"Public dancing" shall mean all dancing or dances in or upon premises to which the public, or a portion of the public, is admitted, except dances which are not held for profit, and to which only bona fide members of organizations conducting the dances, and their bona fide guests are admitted, or to which only bona fide friends of individuals conducting the dances, and their bona fide guests are admitted. (1962 Code § 4-3.01 et seq.)

Issuance or denial of a permit shall be based on the criteria of section 4-1-103 of this title; and with the additional criteria that the permit shall be denied unless such dancing is incidental to some other bona fide principal activity conducted on the premises by the applicant. (1962 Code § 4-3.01 et seq.)

Music or other noise in connection with dancing or dances, public or otherwise, which disturbs the public peace shall be prohibited. (1962 Code § 4-3.01 et seq.)