PORTABLE AMUSEMENT DEVICE (018)

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

A business must obtain a Portable Amusement Device license for any device designed to be operated on the vehicle that is used to transport truck-mounted and inflatable devices. This description is only a general explanation of which businesses need to have a Portable 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 Portable 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.

• 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 copy of your Business Certificate, certified as a true and accurate copy by the County Clerk of the borough in which your business is located. 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 copy of your Partnership Certificate, certified as a true and accurate copy by the County Clerk of the borough in which your business is located. 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 an owner, partner or corporate officer, the person filing the application must submit an original, notarized Affidavit Granting Authority to Act (download) together with one of the above acceptable forms of ID.

• Workers' Compensation Insurance. This policy must name the Department of Consumer Affairs as a Certificate Holder. This insurance may be obtained from a private insurance carrier or the New York State Insurance Fund Office at 199 Church Street in Manhattan: (212) 312-9000. If you are exempt from Workers' Compensation Insurance, you must obtain a waiver from the Workers' Compensation Board. Call (800) 877-1373 for the district office nearest you.
  
  
• You must submit a legible copy of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicle Registration.
  
  
• $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 naming 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.
  

• If your business is a SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP, the proprietor must submit a Notarized Child Support Certification form (download). If your business is a PARTNERSHIP, each partner must submit a Notarized Child Support Certification form (download).

• Self-Contained/Mobile Type Amusement Device Inspection Report (download).
  

INFLATABLE RIDES ONLY:

• You must provide an updated weekly list of the locations and time where the inflated device will be operated. The list must include your license number, business name and address, and name of inflatable device. Fax it to (212) 487-4212, attention: Beverly Gotay. You can also mail the list to the Department of Consumer Affairs, Special Applications Unit, 42 Broadway, New York, NY 10004.

• Inflatable rides require an affidavit (download) for each device stating that the device will be operated in compliance with the manufacturers' directions, and will be tied down pursuant to the manufacturers' instructions.

TRUCK-MOUNTED RIDES ONLY:

• You must submit a legible copy of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicle Registration.

License Fee. Must be paid by check or money order made payable to NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. The chart below lists the amount due depending upon when your license application is filed.