California CodesBusiness and Professions Code - BPCDivision 7 — General Business RegulationsPart 1 — Licensing for Revenue and RegulationChapter 1 — Licensing by CitiesSection 16002.5

No city shall impose a license fee or tax, other than a fee or tax based on gross receipts, for the privilege of renting, leasing, or operating coin-operated vending machines, upon any individual or firm whose business is limited exclusively to renting, leasing, or operating such machines, which license fee or tax has the effect of taxing any gross receipts other than gross receipts which are directly attributable to the business activities conducted within the city. For the purposes of this section, the license fee or tax shall be based on the entire gross receipts which are directly attributable to the business activities conducted within the city, and no minimum license fee or tax shall be imposed upon any business location, nor shall such license fee or tax be measured by the number of business locations or machines of the taxpayer within the city.

Any license to conduct a business issued by a city in connection with which the city imposes a license fee or tax upon coin-operated vending machines within the city, may be revoked for failure of the licensee to report to the city the gross receipts from such machines. The city may demand an audit of any such licensee and require him to submit a copy of the state sales and use tax returns filed relative to such machines, and a copy of any other tax statement filed with any government entity by him or by any other individual or firm owning, renting, leasing, or operating such machines disclosing the gross receipts received from owning, renting, leasing, or operating such machines.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to a chartered city or to a chartered city and county.