Inglewood Municipal Code § 8-62 Card Club Regulations

The following regulations shall govern the operation or conduct of card clubs. social card clubs, card schools and like activities.

It shall be unlawful for any person to maintain, operate or conduct directly or indirectly any social card club room without first having obtained a permit so to do from the Permits and Licenses Committees.

It shall be unlawful to maintain, operate or conduct directly or indirectly any card room or card school without first having obtained a permit so to do from the Permits and Licenses Committee.

No permit, as required herein, shall be issued or granted to any person operating or maintaining a room which has more than one door to be unlocked to gain admission; or which has an entrance equipped with a transparent mirror or controlled lighting so that persons inside the premises can see outside but persons outside said premises cannot see inside; or which has any kind of buzzer system or signal system which can be used to warn or give warning of the approach of any police officer to any person or persons in or about such premises; or which has any impediment or device installed or available which would prevent or make difficult the inspection of said premises in its entirety by law enforcement officers at any time when such premises are being used.

Applications for permits shall conform to the procedural and substantive regulations of this Section with the Permits and Licenses Committee acting as issuing body for said application. In addition, the applicant shall file, together with the application, a building plan of the premises subject to the permit, with all of the points of ingress and egress clearly marked thereon and including each room in said premises.

In addition to the other application requirements set forth in this Code, the Permits and Licenses Committee may consider as a grounds for denial of any application, the following:

(1) Any person, who has been convicted of any felony or any crime or violation involving gambling or narcotics in any Federal, state or municipal court within ten years prior to the date on which application for permit is made;

(2) Any firm, corporation, association or other organization, non-profit or profit, officers, directors or managers that have been convicted of any offense concerning gambling or narcotics in any Federal, state or municipal court within ten years prior to the date on which the application for permit is made; or have been convicted of any felony.

Before granting any permit for which application has been made, the Chief of Police or his officers shall visit and inspect the premises where the applicant proposes to operate or continue to operate.

No permit issued under the terms of this Article shall be transferable from one place to another other than the address or person originally issued by the Permits and Licenses Committee.

The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to the following persons or organizations:

(1) Any recreational, social or amusement enterprise or facility which is operated by a municipal, state or Federal governmental body.

(2) Any non-profit fraternal, civic, religious or homeowners organization operating within the City at the time of the effective date of this ordinance and which has been licensed to operate for two years prior thereto.

(3) Any resident entertaining others in a home located in a residential zone.

All permittees shall keep an accurate set of books showing the income and expenditures of or for such amusement, recreational, social activities; operated, conducted, or maintained on the permitted premises.

A permit fee of $50 shall be paid at the time that the first application for a permit is submitted. Thereafter an annual renewal fee of $25 shall be payable.

(Ord. 2453 9-20-83)

Any person who knowingly plays cards for money, or who engages in any social, recreational or amusement activities for money, in a premises which does not have a valid permit issued by the City of Inglewood in accordance with the provisions hereof shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment in the County Jail for not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

The operation or maintenance of a room or premises without a permit, or contrary to the provisions thereof, shall be deemed to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property by the residents of the City of Inglewood, be contrary to the public welfare and is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and shall be subject to abatement summarily by a restraining order or injunction issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.

(Ord. 1991 4-11-69)