Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 532 - Amusements and Exhibitions
Section 29-133. - Licensing of amusements; definitions.

When used in sections 29-134 to 29-143b, inclusive:

(1) “Amusement” means any circus or carnival presented in the open, including a place where one or more rides or devices capable of accommodating one or more passengers and normally requiring the supervision or services of a ride or device operator are presented for amusement or entertainment purposes, and any circus, carnival or other portable show or exhibition presented under any single tent, air-supported plastic or fabric or other portable shelter, and involving the assembly of one hundred or more persons. “Amusement” does not include an inflatable device leased for private residential use;
(2) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Consumer Protection;
(3) “Insurance Commissioner” means the state Insurance Commissioner;
(4) “Grandstand” means any structure, either with or without a roof, providing seating for one hundred or more persons;
(5) “Owner” means the proprietor, operator, agent or possessor of such amusement;
(6) “Tent” means any structure with or without side panels having wood or metal supports and using any kind of a textile or similar material for coverage, and having a capacity sufficient to shelter one hundred or more persons or covering a ground area of more than one thousand two hundred square feet;
(7) “Ride or device operator” means the person in charge of a mechanical amusement ride or device who causes such ride or device to operate and has direct control of the starting, stopping or speed of a mechanical amusement ride or device; and
(8) “Carnival” means a transient enterprise that offers portable mechanical amusement rides or devices for public amusement and entertainment purposes, but excluding any enterprise that offers the lease of inflatable devices for private residential use.
(1949 Rev., S. 3718; 1955, S. 2018d; 1961, P.A. 28, S. 1; P.A. 73-502, S. 1, 5; P.A. 77-614, S. 163, 486, 610; P.A. 80-482, S. 186, 348; P.A. 90-6, S. 1, 2; P.A. 06-42, S. 1; P.A. 11-51, S. 174; P.A. 21-38, S. 1.)
History: 1961 act amended Subdiv. (1) to add the words “air-supported plastic or fabric” and remove formula for computing maximum tent occupancy; P.A. 73-502 included places with one or more mechanical rides or devices, capable of accommodating three or more persons, which are presented for amusement or entertainment in definition of “amusement”; P.A. 77-614 placed insurance commissioner within the department of business regulation and made insurance department a division within that same department and replaced commissioner of state police with commissioner of public safety, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 deleted reference to abolished department of business regulation and reinstated insurance commissioner as head of independent insurance department; P.A. 90-6 redefined “amusement” to include mechanical rides or devices capable of accommodating five or more persons, and redefined “tent” to include any structure with or without side panels or covering a ground area of more than 1,200 square feet; P.A. 06-42 redefined “amusement” in Subdiv. (1) to replace requirement that device be mechanical and accommodate “five or more persons” with requirement that “one or more passengers” be accommodated and that it need the supervision or services of an operator and to exclude inflatable devices leased for private residential use; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Safety” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Consumer Protection” in Subdiv. (2), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 21-38 amended introductory language to change “29-142” to “29-143b”, amended Subdiv. (1) to insert “ride or device” before “operator”, added Subdiv. (7) defining “ride or device operator”, added Subdiv. (8) defining “carnival” and made a technical change, effective July 1, 2021.

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