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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>75144</law_id><section_number>15.2-912.3</section_number><catch_line>Regulation of dance halls by counties, cities, and towns</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="15.2">Counties, Cities and Towns</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Powers of Local Government</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="9">General Powers of Local Governments</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="1">Public Health and Safety; Nuisances</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>For the purposes of this section, &#x201C;public dance hall&#x201D; means any place open to the general public where dancing is permitted; however, a restaurant located in any <span class="dictionary">city</span> licensed under subsection A of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Retail licenses" href="/4.1-206.3/">4.1-206.3</a> to serve food and beverages having a dance floor with an area not exceeding 10 percent of the total floor area of the establishment shall not be considered a public dance hall.
		Any <span class="dictionary">locality</span> may by <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> regulate public dance halls in such <span class="dictionary">locality</span> and prescribe punishment for violation of such <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> not to exceed that prescribed for a Class 3 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>.
		Such <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> shall prescribe for (i) the issuance of permits to operate public dance halls, grounds for <span class="dictionary">revocation</span> and procedure for <span class="dictionary">revocation</span> of such permits; (ii) a license tax not to exceed $600 on every person operating or conducting any such dance hall; and (iii) rules and regulations for the operation of such dance halls. Such <span class="dictionary">ordinances</span> may exempt from their operation dances held for benevolent or charitable purposes and dances conducted under the auspices of religious, educational, civic, or military organizations.
		No <span class="dictionary">county</span> <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> adopted under the provisions of this section shall be in effect in any <span class="dictionary">town</span> in which an <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> adopted under the provisions of this section is in effect.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 18.1-354; 1960, c. 358; 1962, c. 620; 1975, cc. 14, 15, &#xA7; 18.2-433; 1978, c. 661; 1993, c. 866; 2004, c. 462; 2020, cc. 1113, 1114.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
