5:2A-18. Permit required by promoter

18. a. No boxing, wrestling, kick boxing or combative sports exhibition, event, performance or contest shall be held by any promoter unless the promoter shall have, at least two weeks before the holding of the same, notified the board, in such form, with such detailed information and at such place as the board may prescribe, of the proposed holding of the same, and shall, in addition to having a license as provided by section 14 of this act, have obtained from the board a permit in writing to hold the same. No permit shall be granted to any promoter who has been delinquent in paying a tax which has been assessed pursuant to section 20 of this act unless good cause is shown.

b. The board shall be notified, at least one week in advance, in such form and with such detailed information as the board may prescribe, that a boxing, wrestling, extreme wrestling, kick boxing or combative sports exhibition, event, performance or contest is to be telecast, televised or broadcast in any manner, including but not limited to television, radio or any transmission via a cable television system, as defined in section 3 of P.L.1972, c.186 (C.48:5A-3), or any transmission via microwave, closed circuit, satellite, fiber optic link or any other method of limited distribution.

c. No person shall charge or receive an admission fee for exhibiting within this State a telecast of any boxing, wrestling, extreme wrestling, kick boxing or combative sports exhibition, event, performance or contest which occurs or has occurred within this State without a permit issued by the board. Permits are required for simultaneous telecasts, closed circuit telecasts, or any transmission of any kind, including but not limited to transmission via microwave, closed circuit, satellite or fiber optic link. As a condition of obtaining a permit, the board shall be furnished with all contracts and agreements pertaining to such transmissions.

d. The board shall be informed by the promoter when any boxing, wrestling, extreme wrestling, kick boxing or combative sports exhibition, event, performance or contest will be exhibited in any manner either within or without the State. As a condition of obtaining a permit, the board shall be furnished with all contracts and agreements pertaining to such exhibitions viewed either within or without the State.

e. No extreme wrestling event shall be held by any promoter who has been licensed pursuant to section 14 of P.L.1985, c.83 (C.5:2A-14) unless the promoter shall have, at least 20 business days before the holding of the event, notified the director of public safety of the municipality in which the event is proposed to take place, in such form and with such detailed information as the board may prescribe, of the proposed holding of the event and received approval in writing therefor. If a municipality does not have a director of public safety or a public safety official with substantially similar duties, the governing body of a municipality shall designate a public safety official to receive notification and approve or disapprove the proposed holding of an extreme wrestling event. In addition to obtaining municipal approval from the appropriate public safety official and having a license as provided by section 14 of P.L.1985, c.83 (C.5:2A-14), a promoter of an extreme wrestling event shall obtain from the board a permit in writing to hold the event.

The public safety official of a municipality who receives notice of the proposed holding of an extreme wrestling event shall within 15 business days approve or reject the proposed holding of the event. The official may reject the proposed event if the official decides that the holding of the proposed event would constitute a threat to public safety or public health. If the official rejects the proposed event, no permit for the proposed event shall be granted by the board. If the official grants approval, the written approval shall be forwarded by the official to the board, which shall within five business days of the receipt make a determination on the permit to be issued pursuant to subsection a. of this section, notwithstanding the requirement to notify the board at least two weeks before the proposed holding of the event.

f. As a condition of obtaining a permit to hold an extreme wrestling event, no person under the age of 18 years shall be admitted to an extreme wrestling event. The promoter of an extreme wrestling event shall make all reasonable effort to ascertain the age of those persons seeking admittance to the event.

L.1985,c.83,s.18; amended 2000, c.124, s.8.