Fontana, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- City council
- Card games allowed on premises
- None, by permit condition
- Gambling allowed on premises
- None, by permit condition
- License blocked without permit
- Yes, Sec. 15-214
- Permit revocable for
- Violation or detriment to public order
Summary
Fontana requires every public pool or billiard hall to hold a city council permit, and the permit application must state the operator will not allow any gambling or card games of any type on the premises, effectively closing off card rooms operating out of licensed pool halls.
Any person desiring to conduct or carry on a public billiard room or table or public pool room or table or billiard or pool business within the city shall make written application to the city council, which shall state the name of the person desiring to conduct, manage or carry on such place of business and the place where the business is to be located, and which shall contain a further statement that if such permit is issued the applicant will not allow or permit any gambling of any kind to be conducted or carried on in the room or place where such business is being conducted, and will not allow or permit card games of any type in the room or place where such business is being conducted, and will not allow or permit any profane language therein and will at all times keep and conduct a quiet and orderly place.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 17).
Full Breakdown
Fontana Municipal Code Sec. 15-211 bars anyone from conducting a public billiard or pool room or business without first obtaining a written permit from the city council. Sec. 15-212 sets the application content: the applicant must state the business location and include a statement that, if the permit issues, the applicant will not allow or permit any gambling of any kind, and will not allow or permit card games of any type, in the room or place where the business is conducted, and will keep the premises quiet, orderly, and free of profane language.
Sec. 15-213 requires the city council to deny the application unless the applicant has fully complied with Sec. 15-212 and the council is satisfied the permit will not be detrimental to good order and propriety. Sec. 15-214 blocks the city clerk from issuing the accompanying business license to anyone lacking this council permit, and Sec. 15-215 lets the council revoke any permit at any time it finds a violation of the article or determines the business has become detrimental to public order. Because Fontana has adopted no separate ordinance authorizing card rooms under the Gambling Control Act, this pool-and-billiard-hall permit condition is the only local provision on card games found in the code: it forecloses card games as part of any licensed pool or billiard business rather than licensing a standalone card room.
Violations & Fines
Operating a pool or billiard business without the council permit, or violating the no-gambling, no-card-games condition in an issued permit, exposes the operator to permit revocation under Sec. 15-215 and denial of the business license under Sec. 15-214; the city clerk cannot issue or continue the license without a valid permit in hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a card room operate legally inside a Fontana pool hall?
Does Fontana have a standalone card room licensing ordinance?
Who issues the pool hall permit in Fontana and can it be revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fontana
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle card room licensing.