Dublin, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)

Dublin Municipal Code § 8.08.020 defines 'Card Room' as 'a gambling establishment that exclusively offers card games for play by the public,' a definition last revised by Ord. 15-09 in November 2009. Table entries for the use type sit in the Land Use Matrix at § 8.12.050, which lists Card Room among the Commercial Use Types with a 'C/ZA' designation, meaning Conditional Use Permit approval by the Zoning Administrator, in the C-1 (Retail Commercial), C-2 (General Commercial), M-P (Industrial Park) and M-1 (Light Industrial) districts. The matrix marks the use '-' (not permitted) in the A (Agricultural), R-1, R-2, R-M, C-O (Commercial Office), C-N (Neighborhood Commercial) and M-2 (Heavy Industrial) districts, so a card room cannot open in any residential zone, an office or neighborhood-commercial district, or the city's heaviest industrial district, no matter what permit is sought.

Off-street parking for an approved card room is set at one space per 200 square feet of floor area under § 8.76.080's Parking Requirements by Use Type table; the same ratio is repeated for the 'Card Rooms' line listed again under the Recreational Facility/Indoor grouping in that table, so the requirement does not change depending on which grouping the use is filed under. Because the approval is discretionary rather than ministerial, the Zoning Administrator can attach conditions to the Conditional Use Permit, and any project must also satisfy the development, landscaping and sign standards that apply to whichever commercial or industrial district the site sits in.