Committee recommends repeal of Coeur d'Alene amusement-machine licensing code

The General Services Committee recommended repeal of Chapter 5.64 of the Coeur d'Alene Municipal Code, the city’s long-standing ordinance regulating amusement machines and arcades.

Renata Mloud, municipal services director, told the committee the ordinance dates to 1982 and was intended to require background checks for owners of arcades that primarily attracted children. Mloud said the license has not been issued in at least 15 years and that comparable entertainment businesses in the region are treated as general commercial enterprises rather than a special arcade license.

A councilmember asked whether the repeal would affect legacy rides or carnival-type attractions; staff answered that those businesses no longer fit the original ordinance’s premise and that the city could craft a new licensing approach if a future need arose. The committee moved and seconded a recommendation that city council repeal the code; the motion carried.

The recommendation will be placed on the regular council agenda for final consideration. No implementation details or changes to other licensing processes were specified during the committee discussion.