Dallas appeals board overturns denial and grants Club Los Realis a one-year late‑hours exemption

The City of Dallas Permanent License and Appeal Board voted unanimously Thursday to reverse a denial by the chief of police and grant a one‑year exemption allowing Club Los Realis to operate past the city's standard late‑hours cutoff.

The board's decision came after the club's owners argued that the city's measurement showing the dance hall within 1,000 feet of a residence was taken from a different point than the business building's active entrance; the city maintained its zoning survey showed the nearest points were within the 1,000‑foot limit. The board granted a one‑year exemption from the 1,000‑foot restriction and approved a late‑hours permit.

Why it matters: Dallas City Code section 14‑3.1 prohibits issuing a late‑hours permit for a dance hall located within 1,000 feet of a lot devoted to residential use. The board's action is an administrative exception to that restriction for one year; the decision affects local nightlife licensing and how measurement disputes between applicants and the city are handled.

Owners' case Martha Luis, an owner of Club Los Realis, told the board the family business has operated in the area for nearly 17 years and typically opens only on Saturday nights. "We've…