TEMPORARY AMUSEMENT DEVICE (090)

DCA Licensing Center
42 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10004
For more information, call 311.

A business must obtain a Temporary Amusement Device license for any contrivance open to the public, not to exceed 14 calendar days for each event, that carries and conveys passengers along, around or over a fixed or restricted course or within a defined area for the purpose of amusing or entertaining its passengers, whether manually, mechanically, electrically or otherwise operated. This description is only a general explanation of which businesses need to have a Temporary Amusement Device license.

Note: New York City businesses must comply with all relevant federal, state, and City laws and rules. All laws and rules of the City of New York, including the Consumer Protection Law and Rules, are accessible using the Public Access Portal. For convenience, sections of the New York City Licensing Law (and Rules, if enacted) are available as a downloadable handout. The Law (and Rules) are current as of January 2009.

Please note that businesses are responsible for knowing and complying with the most current laws, including any City Council amendments. The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) is not responsible for errors or omissions in the handout. The information is not legal advice. You can only obtain legal advice from a lawyer.

Below are the requirements for a Temporary Amusement Device license. All required documents must be submitted when filing your application. Applications must be filed in person at the DCA Licensing Center, 42 Broadway, 5th floor, in Manhattan between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and on Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. To speed processing, please submit documents in the order listed below.

Inspections & Notification: All applications must be submitted thirty days before the event and the department will send notice of same to the pertinent Community Board, Council Member and inspection requests to the Elevator and Electrical Divisions at the Department of Buildings (DOB). Complete the attached inspection/ recommendation forms. If an application is submitted twelve days before the event, it is your responsibility to submit Community Board and Council Member notification and response.

• Basic License Application (download).

*ATTENTION NEW LICENSE APPLICANT: You can complete the Basic License Application online using a fillable PDF file, then print a bar-coded form for scanning into our system once you arrive at the Licensing Center. Learn more

• For Sole Proprietorships, submit a notarized copy of your Business Certificate. The County Clerk of the borough in which your business is located must certify this certificate. The address appearing on your Business Certificate must be identical to the address for which you are seeking a license. If you are a sole proprietor doing business under your own name, and not a trade or Doing-Business-As (DBA) name, you do not need a Business Certificate.
  
  
• For Partnerships, submit a notarized copy of your Partnership Certificate. The County Clerk of the borough in which your business is located must certify this certificate. The address appearing on your Partnership Certificate must be identical to the address for which you are seeking a license.
  
  
• For Corporations, submit a stamped Certificate of Incorporation or a Filing Receipt. If applicable, you must also submit your corporation's Assumed Name Certificate. These certificates must be stamped by the New York State Secretary of State. For more information, contact the New York State Secretary of State's Division of Corporations at (518) 473-2492. If your business is an out-of-state corporation, you must obtain a Certificate of Doing Business in Good Standing from your home state's Secretary of State and file this with an application for Authority to Conduct Business in New York with the New York State Secretary of State. A filing receipt from the New York State Secretary of State will be accepted as proof.
  
  
• Photo ID of the person submitting the application. Acceptable identification includes:
  
  -a driver's license or a non-driver's ID issued by a State Department of Motor Vehicles
  -a passport
  -an alien card/green card
  -a license or permit issued by a government agency
  -if applicant is a city, state or federal employee, an employee identification card
  

Note: If this application will be filed by someone other than the person to be licensed, an original notarized Affidavit Granting Authority to Act (download) must be submitted at the time of filing together with one of the above acceptable forms of ID.

• Workers' Compensation Insurance. This policy must name the Department of Consumer Affairs as the Certificate Holder. This may be obtained from various private insurance carriers or from the New York State Insurance Fund Office at 199 Church Street in Manhattan: (212) 312-9000. If you are exempt from workers' compensation requirements, you must complete the Affidavit Claiming Exempt Status from Workers' Compensation Insurance (download).
  
  
• $1,000,000.00 Liability Insurance. Insurance certificate must have a clause stating that the Department of Consumer Affairs will be notified if the policy is cancelled, or if the insured fails to renew 30 days prior to the policy's expiration date. You must submit the original certificate and it must name the Department of Consumer Affairs as the certificate holder. The policy must also state the individual name(s) of each device the policy is covering.
  
  
• You must complete the Inspection Request form (download) listing all devices, with names of devices and Department of Labor I.D. numbers, Community Board, Council District, and NYPD Precinct in the district where the fair will be located.
  
  
• A licensed electrician must file an application for an inspection by the Bureau of Electrical Control of the New York City Department of Buildings at least five days prior to the date of operation of device. This Department cannot request the required electrical inspection until such an application is filed. Applications must be filed in Room 2337 of the Municipal Building, One Centre Street in Manhattan.
  
  
• Proof of your right to use the property (Deed, Bill of Sale, or Current Lease). If you are leasing the property, you must, in addition to your lease, submit a copy of the deed proving the Lessor's ownership of the property. In no instance may City-owned property be used for any purpose without the expressed written permission from the City of New York (Housing Preservation Development or Department of Citywide Administrative Services).
  
  
• Copy of Proposed Foundations as Recommended in the Operation/Maintenance Manual for Amusement Devices.If manual does not contain proposed footings, please submit a notarized plan and design of the footings prepared by a professional engineer ("PE") or registered architect ("RA") licensed in the State of New York. The plan must include the size and pressure under the footings and allowable soil bearing capacities. A copy of the plan must be kept with the amusement device. A valid New York State "Permit to Operate an Amusement Device" may be submitted in lieu of the plan.
  
  
• Temporary Amusement Device Affidavit (download). Applicant must submit an affidavit verifying that all necessary operation, maintenance, inspections and tests required by the manufacturer of the device have been performed for three months prior to its present location and that devices requiring a load test have had a non-destructive test within one year prior to the use of the amusement device in New York City.
  
  
• If your business is a Sole Proprietorship or a Partnership, the proprietor and each partner must submit a Notarized Child Support Certification form (download).
  
  
• License fee of $50.00 for each device must be paid by check or money order payable to the Department of Consumer Affairs.
  
  
• Department of Buildings Inspection Fee of $100.00 per mechanical device must be paid by check or money order payable to the Department of Buildings.

Licensees must notify DCA of additions or changes to one or two listed rides at least three business days prior to the event. Additions or changes to more than two rides will require at least five business days notification.