Orange May Repeal Dance Hall Ordinance

By Brandon T. Bisceglia

A century-old ordinance in Orange that requires establishments that allow dancing to acquire a special permit may be on the chopping block.

The Board of Selectmen unanimously agreed at its Feb. 12 meeting to schedule a public hearing at its March 11 meeting on the repeal of Section 204 of the Orange Town Code.

The Section, titled “Dance Halls and Other Public Entertainment,” requires owners of establishments to acquire a special permit for “a public dance hall, pool room, exhibition or amusement hall or restaurant in which dancing is permitted.” It imposes a fine of $100 for every offense for failure to obtain the permit.

Owners can’t just mosey on down to Town Hall to pick up a permit, either. The Board of Selectmen is required to hold a public hearing on the application “to determine whether the applicant is a proper person, the purpose is a proper purpose and the location suitable for such purpose.”

The ordinance allows exceptions for churches, charitable organization, Town Hall itself and school auditoriums if the proper permissions have been given.

It’s not exactly one of Connecticut’s famous “blue laws,” which generally sprang from the state’s Puritan colonial past. It is almost 100 years old now, though. The town passed a law in 1933 allowing selectmen to prevent establishments that allowed dancing from coming to town without a permit. That became Section 204 in 1955 and was revisited last in 1981.

Selectwoman Judy Williams said she looks forward to the coming discussion. “It just is part of that little bit of history of Orange that just kind of shines through – dance halls,” she said with a smile.