West Covina Municipal Code § 5-84 Fees

(a) No person shall keep/maintain or possess in his place of business one or more games of skill and science or allow the operation, maintenance, conduct or carrying on of any game of skill and science without having first obtained a permit therefor as herein provided.

(b) If the applicant desires a permit for the purpose of operating, maintaining or conducting games of skill and science as a business in an appropriate commercial zone and not as an accessory use to the main use of the premises for an established business, no permit shall be issued pursuant to this part until the applicant has been issued a conditional use permit for a recreational center (private) pursuant to the provisions of chapter 26 of this Code. A use shall not be deemed to be accessory to the operation of an established business within the meaning of this section if the applicant seeks a permit for more than three (3) games of skill and science.

(Code 1960, § 6361; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76; Ord. No. 1933, § 1(Amd. 285, Exh. 1), 4-5-94)

(a) Filing. The holder of a conditional use permit for a recreation center (private) or the holder of a business license for the main use of the premises for an established business issued by the city who desires to keep, maintain or possess in his place of business one (1) or more games of skill or science shall file an application for a permit with the city license collector.

(b) Signature and verification. Such application shall be filed in the name of the person or business entity holding the unclassified use permit or the holder of a business license for the main use of the premises for an established business and shall be signed and verified by an individual applicant, by a partner if a partnership, and by a corporate officer if a corporation.

(c) Contents. Such application shall be made upon a form therefor prescribed by the city license collector and shall contain the following information:

(1) The name and residence of every person required to sign any application hereunder;

(2) The place of business where any such proposed game of skill and science will be operated, maintained or conducted, and the number of the current business license issued for that place of business; and

(3) The number of such games to be maintained on the premises.

(Code 1960, § 6362; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76; Ord. No. 1566, §§ 1, 2, 11-8-82; Ord. No. 1933, § 1(Amd. 285, Exh. 1), 4-5-94)

(a) Generally. Each application required by this division shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable annual permit fee to be established by resolution of the city council. If the applicant applies for a permit for new or additional games of skill or science during any year, the permit fee shall be due and payable immediately; and the amount of the fee shall be determined by prorating the annual permit fee on the basis of the number of quarters remaining in the calendar year and including the quarter in which the application is filed.

(b) Penalties for late payment. Whenever any permit fee required by this part is not paid within thirty (30) days after January 1, a penalty of ten (10) percent of the amount due shall be imposed, and an additional penalty of ten (10) percent of the original fee shall be added at the close of business of the last day of each calendar month thereafter. Each penalty shall become part of the permit fee required by this article. However, in no case shall the total penalty exceed one hundred (100) percent of the original fee.

(c) Penalties for newly installed games of skill or science. In the case of a newly installed game of skill or science at a fixed place of business for which a permit is required, no penalty shall be imposed if the fee shall be paid within fifteen (15) days after the date of the installation of the games of skill or science. Otherwise the penalty shall be imposed as in the case of any other games of skill or science permit.

(Code 1960, §§ 6364, 6365; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76; Ord. No. 1566, §§ 3—5, 11-8-82)

Permits issued pursuant to this division shall not be assigned or transferred except as provided for and upon the payment of the transfer fee fixed in section 14-28.

(Code 1960, § 6366; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76)

A duplicate permit may be issued by the city license collector to replace any permit previously issued under the provisions of this division which has been lost or destroyed, upon the permittee's filing an affidavit attesting to such fact, and at the time of filing such affidavit paying to the city license collector a duplicate permit fee to be established by resolution of the city council.

(Code 1960, § 6366.5; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76; Ord. No. 1566, § 6, 11-8-82)

The permittee shall keep the permit issued under the provisions of this division posted in a conspicuous place upon the premises for which such permit was issued.

(Code 1960, § 6366.6; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76)

The city council hereby reserves the right to grant a permit required by this division to any church, school, lodge, religious, charitable or eleemosynary institution or organization, without the payment of a permit fee as otherwise provided for in this division for a period of not to exceed fifteen (15) days.

(Code 1960, § 6366.8; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76)

No permit issued by the city license collector pursuant to this division shall authorize the conduct of any game which is prohibited by any law of the state or this Code, and any such permit issued in violation thereof shall be void.

(Code 1960, § 6367; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76)

If the holder of a permit for the operation of a game of skill and science, or any agent, employee or servant of the permittee acting for and on behalf of such permittee in connection with the operation, maintenance or conduct of any such game, is convicted in any court of competent jurisdiction in the state, of having violated any law of the state or of this Code prohibiting or regulating gambling, all permits heretofore issued to such permittee shall be revoked by the city license collector forthwith without hearing or previous notice, upon the filing of a certified copy of final judgment of conviction of the court in the office of the city license collector. Upon the revocation of the permit all games of skill and science shall be immediately removed from the premises.

(Code 1960, § 6366.9; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76)

Each permit and each renewal permit shall expire on December thirty-first next following the date of its issuance. Each such permit may be renewed by making application for renewal and paying the required fee within the time specified for the renewal of business licenses.

(Code 1960, § 6363; Ord. No. 1307, § 1, 7-26-76)

The permit for the operation, maintenance or conduct of games of skill or science may be revoked by the city license collector without hearing or previous notice if the owner of the games of skill or science has failed to obtain a valid current business license for such video games as required by section 14-68, category code S, section 17(c) or section 25 of this Code. Upon the revocation of the permit, all games of skill or science shall be immediately removed from the premises.

(Ord. No. 1581, § 2, 2-28-83)