Ventura County Municipal Code Ch. 9 Alcoholic Beverage Warning Signs

Any person or entity who owns, operates, manages, leases or rents a premises offering wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages for sale, or dispensing for consideration, to the public, shall cause a sign or notice to be posted on the premises as provided in this section. The sign or notice shall read as follows: PREGNANCY AND ALCOHOL DO NOT MIX. DRINKING BEER, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES DURING PREGNANCY CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS. The sign or notice as required herein shall not be smaller than ten inches wide by ten inches long, nor shall any lettering thereon be less than one inch in height.

The required sign or notice shall be placed as follows:

(a) Where the sale or dispensing of wine, beer, or other alcoholic beverages to the public is primarily intended for consumption on the premises, at least one sign shall be so placed as to assure that it is readable at locations in which said sale or dispensing occurs.

(b) When the sale of wine, beer, or other alcoholic beverages to the public is primarily provided through over-the-counter service, at least one sign shall be placed to assure that it is readable from all counter locations available to the public.

(c) Where the sale or dispensing of wine, beer, or other alcoholic beverages to the public is primarily provided for consumption on the premises at tables served by food or beverage service persons, at least one sign shall be placed to assure it is readable by the public entering the premises. In the alternative, signs or notices smaller than ten inches wide by ten inches long may be displayed at each of the tables provided that the notices are as readily visible and readable as materials provided to the public which list food and beverage prices.

In the event a substantial number of the public patronizing a premises offering for sale or dispensing wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages uses a language other than English as a primary language, an additional sign or notice as is required by subsection (1) of Section 4901 above shall be posted and shall be worded in the primary language involved.

(a) Availability of Signs.

The Ventura County Health Care Agency shall make warning signs available to vendors of alcoholic beverages. Persons or entities may, however, at their own expense, prepare and post signs meeting the requirements of this chapter. In no event shall the prescribed language of the warning sign be altered.

(b) Enforcement.

The Environmental Health Division of the Resource Management Agency shall be responsible for the enforcement of compliance with this chapter. The Health Care Agency shall have the authority to adopt reasonable rules and regulations for the implementation of this chapter.

(c) Fee for Enforcement—For a business required by Section 4901 to post a sign or notice and required to pay a fee pursuant to Section 4620 of Division 4, Chapter 6 of this ordinance, an additional fee may be authorized by a resolution of the Board of Supervisors to administer and enforce Division 4, Chapter 9 of this ordinance code.

(d) Violation and Penalties—Anyone subject to the provisions of Section 4900 knowingly failing to post the required warning is guilty of an infraction.