Mountain View, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code Sec. 9.2, Chapter 9 Art. I
- New cardrooms
- Prohibited citywide since 1995
- Grandfather cutoff
- Licensed and operating by January 17, 1995
- Minor age limit
- Under 18 barred unless with parent/guardian
- Closure rule
- 90 days closed ends grandfathered status
Summary
Mountain View bans new cardrooms outright: Sec. 9.2 makes it unlawful for any person or business entity to open, operate, keep or maintain any cardroom within city limits, except for preexisting cardrooms licensed before January 17, 1995. Those grandfathered cardrooms may keep operating under Sec. 9.4 but cannot expand, relocate, or reopen after a 90-day closure.
SEC. 9.2. - Cardrooms prohibited. Except as permitted in Sec. 9.3 and 9.4, it shall be unlawful for any person or business entity to open, operate, keep or maintain, any cardroom within city limits. ... SEC. 9.4. - Continued operation of preexisting cardrooms in city. Preexisting cardrooms shall be permitted to continue their operations in the city in accordance with this article and applicable state law under their current ownership as of the effective date of this article. Cardroom licenses for preexisting cardrooms may be suspended or revoked for cause pursuant to Sec. 9.17 and may be transferred only as permitted in Sec. 9.15.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 34 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 1 defines a cardroom as any building, structure, premises or place where a person is permitted, for a fee or other compensation, to play a card game. Sec. 2 prohibits opening, operating or maintaining any cardroom in the city except as permitted under Sec. 4. Sec. 3 limits the city to considering license applications only from applicants who filed before the article's 1995 effective date or from preexisting cardrooms renewing their licenses. Sec. 4 lets preexisting cardrooms, meaning those lawfully operating with a valid city cardroom permit in effect on January 17, 1995, continue under their current ownership, subject to suspension or revocation under Sec.
17. Sec. 5 tightens that grandfathering: a preexisting cardroom cannot be altered, enlarged or extended to serve more clients; if its building is damaged or destroyed and repair costs exceed 50 percent of the cost of a comparable new building, the cardroom use cannot be rebuilt; and if the cardroom business is discontinued or changed to another use for 90 or more continuous days, the cardroom use is terminated and cannot be reestablished. Sec. 1 bars minors under 18 from a cardroom unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, and makes it a violation for a minor to misrepresent their age to gain entry. Sec. 6 requires a valid, unrevoked cardroom license before any cardroom may operate at all.
Violations & Fines
Opening a new cardroom, or operating a preexisting one without a valid license, without disclosed ownership, or in an expanded space, violates Sec. 9.2 and Sec. 9.5 and exposes the operator to license suspension or revocation for cause under Sec. 9.17. Letting an unaccompanied minor under 18 enter or remain in a cardroom violates Sec. 9.5.1, and a cardroom left closed or converted to another use for 90 straight days permanently loses its cardroom status under Sec. 9.5(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone open a new cardroom in Mountain View today?
Can an existing Mountain View cardroom expand or move?
What happens if a grandfathered cardroom closes for a while?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mountain View
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