Chap. 207.—An ACT to amend and re-enact an act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide
for the regulation of public dance halls located in counties adjoining cities of
fifty thousand inhabitants or more and in counties having a density of popula-
tion of more than three hundred per square mile according to the last United
States census,’”’ approved March 9, 1926, as amended, so as to make it apply
to public dance halls in all the counties in the State, and to authorize the boards
of supervisors or other governing bodies to impose license taxes on the operators
of such public dance halls. [H B 22]

Approved March 16, 1940

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, That an
act entitled ‘‘An Act to provide for the regulation of public dance
halls located in counties adjoining cities of fifty thousand inhabitants
or more and in counties having a density of population of more than
three hundred per square mile according to the last United States
census,’ approved March ninth, nineteen hundred and twenty-six,
as amended, be amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Section 1. No person, firm or corporation shall, in any county in
this State, operate or conduct a public dance hall, as herein defined,
without a permit, which permit may be obtained from the circuit
court of the county, or the judge thereof in vacation, on satisfactory
evidence that the applicant is a proper person to receive the same.
Such permit may be revoked at any time by the court or judge granting
the same.

Section 2. A public dance hall, as herein defined, shall be con-
strued to mean any place open to the general public where dancing
is permitted to which an admission fee is charged or for which com-
pensation is in any manner received either directly or indirectly by
cover charge or otherwise; or where refreshments or food or any form
of merchandise are served for compensation before, during or after
dancing, and the sale of any refreshments, food or any form of mer-
chandise at any such place, or the exhibiting of such for sale shall
be deemed direct compensation for any such dance hall as is con-
templated in this act. This section, however, shall not apply to
dances held for benevolent or charitable purposes, or when the same
are conducted under the auspices of religious or educational or civic
or military organizations.

Section 3. Any person, firm or corporation violating any pro-
vision of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon con-
viction thereof, shall be fined not less than fifty nor more than five
hundred dollars for each offense.

Section 4. Nothing in this act contained shall be construed as
exempting any such public dance hall from the payment of any license
tax imposed by existing law; and the board of supervisors, or other
governing body, of each and every county, is hereby authorized to
impose a county license of not exceeding five dollars on every person,
firm and corporation operating or conducting any such public dance
hall in its county; provided, however, that in any county adjoining
any county having a density of population of five hundred or more
per square mile, the board of supervisors or other governing body, is
hereby authorized to impose a county license of not exceeding one
hundred dollars on every person, firm and corporation operating or
conducting any such public dance hall in its county.