(a) No person shall for hire, guide or escort people through or about the City and County of San Francisco or any part thereof, unless he shall have paid a license fee in advance; provided, however, that no license shall be issued hereunder unless the applicant therefore shall first have obtained a written permit from the Chief of Police authorizing him to act as such guide. The license fee shall be paid annually on or before March 31, in accordance with the provisions of Section 76.1 of the Business and Tax Regulations Code.
(b) Every person desiring a permit pursuant to this Section shall file an application with the Chief of Police upon a form provided by said Chief of Police and shall pay a filing fee.
(c) Every licensed guide, while soliciting employment or acting as guide, shall wear conspicuously exposed on the outside lapel of his coat a badge, showing thereof his number and the words LICENSED GUIDE. The design, size and arrangement of numbering and lettering thereof shall be fixed by the Tax Collector, but shall be uniform. The badges shall be furnished by the Tax Collector at a cost fixed by the Tax Collector to cover the cost of issuing such badge, and shall be issued at the date of the issuance of the license herein provided for. Only one badge shall be issued to each licensed guide.
(d) The provisions of this Section shall not apply to nonprofit organizations guiding or escorting people through or about the City and County of San Francisco as part of an educational program, or to individuals guiding or escorting people through or about the City and County of San Francisco as part of an educational program sponsored by a nonprofit organization. Upon request of the Police Department, a nonprofit organization claiming exemption under this subsection shall provide verification in a form acceptable to the Chief of Police of (1) its nonprofit organization status, and (2) the educational program of which the tour is a component.
(Added by Ord. 555-81, App. 11/12/81; amended by Ord. 251-10, File No. 100528, App. 10/22/2010; Ord. 238-11, File No. 111101, App. 12/15/2011, Eff. 1/14/2012)