The Liquor License Database does not indicate the Use Group of the 2324 establishments prohibiting Patron Dancing. Below are steps to determine this fact for a singles establishment.
Dancing is currently allowed only in hotels and Use Group 12 Districts. The SLA database does not include the Use Group. Nor does the Zola database inlcude the Use Group of a particular parcel as part of the database. We know that fewer than 300 establishments include Patron Dancing in their Methods of Operation and that Patron Dancing is explicitly prohibited in 2324 establishments (as of March, 2023). It is not known how many of the 2324 establishments are in Use Group 12 which allows dancing, or if the Methods of Operation prohibit dancing merely because dancing is prohibited and the establishment is in Use Group 6.
Following are steps to ascertain this for a single establishment. Data scientists for the City could work on this, but, at the moment, Department of City Planning is operating in the dark.
Often, it is necessary to know the applicable Use Group.
1. First search for the venues at the SLA License database
2. Then, to identify the Zoning District, access Zola – New York City’s Zoning & Land Use Map. Insert the address of the venue in the upper left corner, and then observe in the right column the Zoning District(s) of the venue. Click on the District Name to view further information about the district, which may include a description at to the Use Group for the specific district such as ” Use Groups 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12, which include most retail establishments, are permitted in C4 districts. ”
3. To determine the Use Group of a parcel, access City Planning’s Use Group Summary Unless the parcel is in Use Group 12, dancing is not allowed (exception – Hotels Use Group 10).
4. To double check the Use Group summary, access the statutory language of the Zoning Resolution, and in particular §32-10 of the Zoning Resolution, see
Uses Permitted as of Right.
One may submit a FOIL request to the SLA at https://openfoil.ny.gov/#/newfoilrequest.