The selectmen of any town, the chief of police of any city and the warden of any borough may grant licenses to suitable persons to be lodging house keepers and to carry on the business of renting rooms and beds for lodgings in such town, city or borough, respectively, and may revoke such licenses for cause. The persons so licensed, except charitable organizations and youth hostels, shall pay to the authority granting such license the sum of fifty dollars, for the use of such municipality. Each such license shall designate the place where such business is to be carried on and shall continue for one year unless sooner revoked. Each such lodging house keeper and each charitable organization and youth hostel shall keep a register, card-file or other suitable record-keeping system in which shall be written in the English language the names of all persons lodging from time to time in such house, which register, card-file or record-keeping system and lodging house shall at all times be subject to the inspection of the selectmen of the town or chief of police of the city or any person or persons designated by them or him, or of the warden of the borough or any person or persons designated by him; and failure to keep such register, card-file or record-keeping system or refusal to allow such register, card-file or record-keeping system or such lodging house to be inspected shall be sufficient cause for the revocation of any such license. The words “lodging house”, as herein used, mean only such houses as are patronized by roving or transient persons, to whom beds or rooms are furnished, and as contain accommodations for not fewer than five persons, or tourist camps wherein houses or cottages are rented by the day. Any person keeping or operating a lodging house without such a license shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars.

(1949 Rev., S. 4686; 1949, S. 2335d; 1967, P.A. 150; P.A. 81-140.)

History: 1967 act added records may be kept by card file or other suitable record-keeping system; P.A. 81-140 increased license fee from $10 to $50.