Game room license for game rooms and similar establishments.
Houston Code of Ordinances § 5-163
in effectSec. 5-163. - Game room license for game rooms and similar establishments.
(a) A game room owner shall obtain a license from the city for each game room located in the city.
(b) The owners or operator of a place where dominoes, cards, or other games are permitted, as described in section 5-162(b) of this Code, shall obtain a license from the city for each place.
(c) The application for a city license required by this section shall be in the form prescribed by the director or his designee and shall contain such information as he shall require. Any failure to provide the information required by this section or a determination by the director that inaccurate, erroneous or incomplete information has been submitted shall be grounds for denial of the application by director.
(1) The proposed game room must comply with this chapter 5 and with chapter 44 of this Code, if applicable, at the time of the submission of the application for a license.
(2) Each application shall also be accompanied by (i) a copy of a certificate of occupancy issued by the building official as appropriate for the proposed game room; (ii) in the case of a game room to be operated under an assumed name, a true and correct copy of the registration of the assumed name filed in the office of the Harris, Fort Bend, or Montgomery County Clerk, bearing the file mark or stamp that evidences its filing in that office; and (iii) non-refundable fee(s) for the license as stated in the city fee schedule. Any failure to provide the documents required by this item shall be grounds for denial by the director.
(c-1) The director shall investigate each application received under this section to determine whether the applicant has been convicted of an applicable offense as specified in section 1-10 of this Code. If it appears that the applicant has been convicted of such an offense, the director of administration and regulatory affairs shall follow the procedures set forth in section 1-9 of this Code.
(d) A license issued under this section shall be subject to revocation by the director of administration and regulatory affairs pursuant to the applicable provisions of sections 1-9 and 1-10 of this Code.
(e) Any failure of a proposed game room to meet all requirements of this article or chapter 44 of this Code or to obtain a county permit if required, shall be grounds for denial, revocation, or suspension of a game room license.
(f) Each city game room license is valid for one year and shall expire on the anniversary date of the issuance of the license. A license may be renewed for the following calendar year beginning 60 days before the expiration of the current license by filing a completed application for each license and paying the applicable fee set forth in the city fee schedule. A renewal application shall be subject to the same requirements in this section as for an initial city game room license application.
(Ord. No. 2014-674, § 4, 6-25-2014)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH5AM_ARTVIGARO_DIV1INGE_S5-163GAROLIGAROSIESFetched: 10/26/2026