HomeMy WebLinkAbout1707A Dances and Dance HallsORDINANCE NO. 4707
AN
ORDINANCE relating to dances and dance halls and
repealing Ordinances No. 871 and 1610.
BE IT ORDAINED BY TtiE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POR? TOWNSEND
as follows:
~ ilDf i_2j_t__i o n s_L.'
'Public Dance" defined.
The teton 'public dance', as used in this ordinance, shall
mean any dance or ball to which admission can be had by payment
of a fee or by the purchase, possession or presentation of any
ticket or token, or at which a charge is made for caring for cloth-
ing or other property, or any dance to which the public generally
may gain admission with or without the payment of a fee or other
charge; provided, that his ordinance shall not apply to incorpor-
ated clubs, fraternal orders or other societies occupying their own
premises and who limit their dances to m~mbers of their own organ-
ization.
'Dance Hall' defined:
The te~ 'dance hall', as used in this ordinance, shall mean
any room, place or space in which a public dance shall be held.
Section 2. Right of entry to public dances by certain ci.t_y cfficerz
Ail police officers and probation officers of the city shall
at all times have free access to all places in ti~e city where any
public dance is being conducted, for the purpose of preserving and
enforcing the provisions of this ordinance or any other ordinance
of the City and the laws of the State.
Section 3. Condition of Premises --- Lighting_._
Every p'ablic dance hall shall at all times be kept inca clean,
and well lighted.~ During hours~of darkness every dance hall shall
be lighted ~in such a'manner~'~and to such and extent as is usual or
customary for lighting of halls or rooms of like dimensions during
the hours of darkness for public assemblies before any person is
admitted thereto and before any dancing is co~enced therein; such
lighting or il!rumination shall be maintained thereafter throughout
the entire tLme while such dance hall is open or dancing is in
progress therein and during any recess or other intermission, with-
out diminution and without interruption until such actiVity is
concluded and until such hall is cleared or closed.
Section 4. Hours ...... ~
That all public dances shall be discontinued and all public
dance halls shall be closed before 2:00 o'clock A.M. and said dance
hall shall remain closed until 8:00 o'clock the following day; pro-
vided that upon the application of a bona fide and reputable organ-
ization or society and for good cause shown the Chief of Police may
grant permission to such organization or society to hold or continue
a dance after 2:00 o'clock A.M. if he shall find the same may be
conducted without undue annoyance to any considerable number of
people; and provided further that, except where permission has been
granted as aforesaid, all public dance halls shall be closed on
Sunday after the hour of 2:00 A.M. ~h~ ~,~'
Section 5. Eraployees, attendants, and patrons.
No person of Lmmoral character or person afflic :.ted with any
infectious disease shall be e~r~ployed in or knowingly be permitted
to take part in any place where public dancing is carried on, and
no person under the age of eighteen years shall be e3ap!oyed in
such an establishment or allowed on the premises unless accompanied
by his or her legal parent or guardian, except that such age pro-
hibition shall not apply to any person employed as an entertainer
or musician at such dance
~ carrying on any public dance hall or having charge or control
thereof nor any person employed in and about such a place, shall
allow or permit any person under the influence of intoxicating
liquor, or any prostitutes or disorderly person, to enter, be or
remain in or to dance in any such public dance hall. No person
shall be permitted to conduct himself or herself in a gross or
vulgar manner in such a place. Inspectors detailed by the Chief
of Police, and paid by the person or organization conducting the
dance, shall be upon the premises at all times that a public
dance is in progress.
Section 7. Use of intoxicants.
No person, firm, society, association or corporation
conducting a public dance hall, nor any person having charge or
control thereof at any time when dancing is being carried on or
conducted therein, shall permit any person to bring into said
dance hall or into any room or rooms in connection therewith or
upon the premises upon which such dance hall is situated, any
intoxicating liquor, nor permit intoxicating liquor to be drunk
in said dance hall or in any of the said rooms or upon said
premises.
K~4~XDKX~.~DI{X~X~X~,~-~X-~X No person during any time any public
dance hall is open and being operated shall take or carry into
said room or rooms or upon said premises or drink therein, or
thereon, any intoxicating liquor.
Section 8. Permit for teen-age dance required..
It shall be unlawful to conduct or sponsor any teen-age
dance, except school ~ances of the public schools,in the City
of Port Townsend without first having obtained a written permit
from the Chief of Police and except in full compliance with all
Permit application --. ~equirements, Teen-age dance:
A. The application for a permit shall be accompanied by adequate
proof that the place or premises where .the dance is to be held has
a valid public dance hall license, or is not required to have such
license b~at conforms with all safety regulations established by
law, and must be filed with the Chief of Police at least ten days
prior to any dance.
B. The application for permit shall set forth therein the
following minimum information:
(1) The name and address of the applicant and applicant's
officers.
(2) The date upon which the dance is to be held.
(3) The address of the place where to dance is to be held.
(4) The approximate attendance expected.
(5) The minimum nut, her of adult supervisors who ~ ~
w~ be in
attendance at all times during the holding of said dance, and
the names and addresses of such adults.
C. Upon the filing of each application for a teen-age dance,
the Chief of Police shall cause to be made such investigation as
he deems proper, and shall either deny or approve the same. If
the application is approved, the permit for such dance shall
then be issued by the Chief of Police. I~f-~the~-a-pplic~o~--f~-r
s~c~--z~-~ ~ ~_d _~y~~i~f--~f~e~- If the application
for such permit is denied by the Chief of Police, the applicant
shall have and is hereby given a right of appeal from said denial
to the City Council
Section 9. Revocation or suspension -- Grounds and Procedure --
Any Permit.
Any permit issued hereunder may be revoked or suspended by
the Chief of Police if any of the following conditions exist or
A. The applicant for the permit or the holder of any permit,
as the case may be, has know.ing!y made any material misstatement
in the application for the permit..
B. The holder of the permit has violated any of the pro-
visions of this ordinance.
C. In the event such permit is revoked or suspended as above
provided, the holder of such permit shall be and is hereby given
tke right of appeal from such revocation or suspension to the City
Council.
D. The dance orchestra shall perform in a moral manner.
Section i0. Regulations.
A. No minor admitted to a teen-age dance shall be permitted
to leave and thereafter re-enter the dancing premi.'se during the
course of the event, and no pass-out checks shall be issued save
and except in emergencies and when authorized specifically by the
person in charge of said dance.
B. No alcoholic beverages shall be sold, consumed, or avail-
able on the premises in or about which any teen-age dance is held.
Admission to a teen-age dance shall be denied to any person showing
evidence of drinking any alcoholic beverage or who has any alcoholic
beverage on his person.
C. Sufficient adult supervision shall be provided by the
sponsor at all teen-age dances to insure that accepted standards
of social conduct are followed. Two adults, one of whom is female,
for each I00 persons attending, or for any fraction over i00.
D. No dancing at any teen-age dance shall be permitted after
the hour of i:00 A.~.
E. No person of the age of 21 years or more and no person
under the age of 15 years shall attend any teen-age dance as a
participant. This does not prohibit the attendance of chaperons
F. Itc'shall be unlawful and constitute a violation of this
chapter for any person who is not eligible for admittance to a
teen-age dance to loiter around or about the premises at which
such dance is being held.
G. The provisions and conditions contained in Section 3,5,6
and 7, both inclusive, and as they may be amended, shall likewise
apply to teen-age dances when such provisions are applicable and
not in conflict with the provisions herein contained. Teen-a%~e
dances shall in no way be construed as public dances.
Section 10. Licensed premises. Nothing herein shall be
de~ned in conflict with dance license provisions for pr~r, ises
licensed by the State of Washington for sale of intoxicants, as
may be provided in other ordinances.
Section 11.
Ordinance~No. 871 and 1610, are here and hereby
ATTEST:
APPROVED AS TO FORMj-~'
repealed.
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Port Townsend and
approved by its ~ayor at a regular meeting of the Council held on
the '7 J ~;~Z~day of ,'~'~I~'~ 1974