It shall be unlawful for any person, persons or corporation
to conduct or maintain within the Township of Riverside, in the County
of Burlington and State of New Jersey a dance hall or place where
persons are permitted to dance, whether or not an admission or other
fee is charged, without a license for that purpose first had and obtained
as hereinafter provided.
Any person desiring a license as aforesaid shall make written
application therefor to the Township Clerk of said Township, which
application shall state the location of the hall or place for which
such license is desired, the name of the owner of said premises, the
approximate number of square feet in the room to be used as a dance
hall and the name of the applicant.
Said application shall be presented by the Township Clerk to
the Township Committee of said Township at its next regular meeting,
after the receipt by him of said application.
Said Township Committee, upon receipt of said application, shall
make such investigation as it may deem necessary as to the character
of the applicant, the location of the building and the construction
of the same and may cause the Building Inspector of said Township
to make such inspection of the premises sought to be licensed as to
enable him to determine whether the same may be safely used as a dance
hall.
If such inspection by the Building Inspector is deemed necessary
or advisable, the fee of said Building Inspector for making such inspection
shall be paid by the applicant for license before such inspection
is made.
If the Township Committee is satisfied from its investigation
that the applicant for such license is a proper person and of good
character and that the premises sought to be licensed are of such
a nature as to be safely used for the purpose of conducting dances
therein, said Township Committee shall issue to such applicant a license
for such dance hall upon the payment by said applicant to said Township
of a fee fixed by said Township Committee of not less than $1 nor
more than $25, which said fee is imposed for costs of administration.
Any license granted pursuant thereto shall be and remain in
force for the term of one year from the date thereof, unless sooner
revoked as herein provided, and at the expiration of said one year
said license may be renewed for a further period of one year upon
the payment of the license fee fixed by said Township Committee.
No license shall be issued as aforesaid unless the Township
Committee is satisfied that the conduct and operation of said dance
hall will not unreasonably disturb or annoy the owners and occupants
of the premises in the vicinity thereof.
The Township Committee may from time to time make such reasonable
regulations as to the conduct of any and all dance halls or places
where persons are permitted to dance licensed by it as it may deem
advisable, which said regulations shall be binding and effective as
to all places theretofore as well as thereafter licensed by it.
The Township Committee may, before granting any license, provide
and impose such conditions and regulations as to the conduct of said
dance hall as it may deem proper.
If any person or persons or corporation to whom a license is
granted as aforesaid shall violate any of the rules or regulations
made or imposed by said Township Committee, his or her license may
be revoked by said Township Committee at any regular meeting thereof,
provided that the holder of said license shall be given at least five
days' notice personally or by mail, addressed to him or her at Riverside,
New Jersey, of such proposed revocation, and at such time and place
the holder of such license shall be given an opportunity to be heard
as to his or her alleged violation of said rules and regulations.
Nothing herein contained shall prevent any fire company, school,
social, fraternal or religious organization of said Township from
holding dances in the premises owned or occupied by said organization,
school or fire company, nor in any hall rented by it for the purpose;
nor shall anything herein contained apply to or affect any dances
held in a private residence by the owners or occupants thereof.[1]
