Lancaster, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit needed
- Conditional use permit (CUP) in C, CPD zones
- OP zone
- Card rooms not allowed at all
- Use category
- Grouped as Entertainment and Recreation
- No dedicated ordinance
- No standalone card room licensing chapter
Summary
Lancaster does not license card rooms directly, but its zoning code requires a conditional use permit before one can open. Municipal Code Section 17.12.040 places card rooms in the Entertainment and Recreation use category, which needs a CUP in the C and CPD commercial zones and is not allowed at all in the OP (office professional) zone.
Entertainment and Recreation This category includes but is not limited to amusement rides; banquet, bingo, billiard, dance, or pool halls; bowling alleys; card rooms; carnivals and circuses for longer than 10 days; fortunetelling; golf driving ranges; miniature golf courses; model studios; night clubs without alcohol; shooting ranges; skating rinks; all types of theaters; video game arcades, and similar uses. CUP CUP N/A
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 10 - 2025).
Full Breakdown
040, the permitted-uses matrix for the C (Commercial), CPD (Commercial Planned Development), and OP (Office Professional) zones. Card rooms are grouped into the broader Entertainment and Recreation category alongside billiard and pool halls, bowling alleys, bingo halls, and similar amusement uses, and that entire category is marked CUP (conditional use permit) in both the C and CPD zone columns and N/A (not allowed) in the OP column. That means a prospective card room operator cannot simply obtain a standard business license and open; the use must first clear discretionary conditional use permit review, which lets the city's review authority impose site-specific conditions or deny the application based on compatibility with surrounding uses. , applies independently and is administered by the state, not the city.
Violations & Fines
Opening or operating a card room in Lancaster without first obtaining the required conditional use permit in the C or CPD zone, or attempting to operate one in the OP zone where the use is not allowed at all, is a zoning code violation subject to the citywide Section 1.12.020 penalty schedule: infraction fines up to $500 or misdemeanor fines up to $1,000 and six months in county jail, per day of violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a card room in Lancaster with just a business license?
Are card rooms allowed in Lancaster's office professional zone?
Does Lancaster have its own gambling ordinance for card rooms?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lancaster
California rules heatmap·Compare Lancaster to another location·View the California gambling & gaming overview
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle card room licensing.