Coachella Municipal Code Ch. 5.28 Fortune Telling and Similar Businesses

A. No person shall practice or solicit, advertise or purport to practice, as a business or for any consideration, fee, donation, gratuity, reward or compensation, any art or calling which seeks or purports to predict or foretell future events or the fate or future acts or fortunes of any nation, business, group of persons or individuals, or which attempts or promises to bring about, cause, result in or influence the achievement or performance of some personal or economic objective, by analysis of parts, products or personal characteristics of a person, or by analysis of any animate or inanimate object including, but not limited to, celestial body, crystal ball, tea leaves, or playing of cards, or through the exercise of any purported psychic, mediumistic, prophetic, occult, clairvoyant, or supernatural power, without first obtaining a permit as called for in this section.

B. Any person, group or entity desiring to obtain a permit called for under this section shall, not less than fourteen (14) days before the date of commencement of any activity referred to in the preceding subsection, file with the city, an application on a form furnished by the city, and signed by the applicant, providing the following information:

1. The name of the person or organization applying for the permit;

2. The name, address, telephone number, driver's license number and social security number of the person who will conduct the activity referred to in the preceding subsection;

3. The street address where the activity will be held;

4. The date(s) and times when such activities referred to in preceding subsection A of this section will be conducted;

5. Whether the applicant or any person who will conduct the activities referred to in preceding subsection A of this section has ever been convicted of:

a. Obtaining money or property by fraudulent game or trick in violation of Penal Code Section 332,

b. Robbery,

c. Fraud,

d. Theft, or

e. Embezzlement.

C. The applicant shall pay to the city a reasonable fee not to exceed twenty five dollars ($25.00), payable to the city, to pay the cost to process the permit.

D. The city shall issue the permit called for in this section, to the applicant, within fourteen (14) days of receipt of a properly completed application and filing fee, unless the applicant or the person who will conduct the activities referred to in this section has been convicted of any of the offenses listed in subsection (B)(5) of this section.

E. The permit granted to the applicant shall provide that the permittee agrees not to conduct the activities called for in the permit in any residential zone and further shall provide that the permittee shall comply with all the zoning regulations, ordinances, and laws of the city.

F. No person, group or entity shall by pretensions to fortunetelling, trick, or other means whatever, fraudulently obtain from another person money or property of any description and such activity shall constitute a violation of this section, in addition to being a violation of California Penal Code Section 332.

(Prior code § 14-5)