Commerce Business Policies

Departments
1

Commerce Business Policies

February 18th, 2022

INTRODUCTION

Starting a business in the State of Firestone can be a great experience and can greatly enhance the community around you. The Department of Commerce is here to help you along the way should you need it. For aspiring business owners, we recommend looking at our Business Guide to help you get started.

IMPORTANT RESOURCES

FDOCM Discord Server
Business Guide
Commerce Permit Database
Business Permit Application

UNIVERSAL BUSINESS POLICIES

Before any current/aspiring business owner may apply for an inspection, they must ensure that their business complies with all of the following policies.

  1. The business is required to have an organized Discord server with any necessary staff/consumer roles, channels (Server Rules, Announcements, General Communication Channel(s) and a Staff Channel at the minimum). Additionally, all employees of the business must be on the server before submitting a permit application.

  2. The Business Owner and any authorized representatives of the business must be in the FDOCM Discord Server for the duration of their permit’s validity. Businesses may have a maximum of two authorized representatives.

  3. The Business must have at least four active employees and an established administration. An administration shall be defined as an employee(s) of the business tasked with the supervision and general management of day-to-day business operations. The business owner does not count as an employee. Employees who still require training do count as employees.

  4. All employees of the business must be hired through a FAIR application and/or interview process.

  5. The business owner must understand and agree the Department of Commerce reserves the right to launch an emergency inspection or investigate their business for any reasons deemed necessary by the Secretary of Commerce. Throughout an emergency inspection or investigation, the designated inspector must be given access to ALL channels in the Business’s Discord Server. The business owner may forward a request to the Secretary to exempt channel(s) from being viewed by the Inspector. An investigation or emergency inspection shall last for a maximum of 10 days. Once that time has passed, the emergency inspection or investigation shall come to an immediate conclusion.

  6. The business owner may not have been arrested within thirty days of submitting their permit application. Business owners must not obtain any criminal arrest records throughout the validity of their permit. If a business owner obtains a criminal arrest record, then their permit may be revoked at the discretion of the Department of Commerce. Citations do not apply to this section.

  7. All members of the business may not commit any crimes whilst representing or operating in the capacity of a business employee. This includes but is not limited to wearing the uniform of said business and working on-shift for the business during the commission of a crime. Citations do not apply to this section. Employees who violate this section must have their employment suspended or terminated at the owner’s discretion depending on the severity of the employee’s actions.

  8. The business may not be a blatant copy of another business (currently/formerly licensed) or a real-world business through means of using the same logo or name.

  9. The business, its owner, or any employees within the business may not have been affiliated with a criminal organization classified under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organisations Act (Found Here Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act) for at least thirty days.

  10. The business owner and all employees with intention of operating in the State of Firestone must be at least a Middle Class Citizen in the State of Firestone.

  11. The business owner must understand that in-game developer support is not provided nor managed by the Department of Commerce and is not often provided. Contact a Commerce Staff Member if you have questions regarding commercial developer support.

  12. The business is expected to actively provide a service to the State of Firestone and its Citizens.

BUSINESS TYPES

Only business types mentioned in the following list are types that will be accepted by the Department of Commerce. Any businesses that are not mentioned on the rejection list should be discussed with CoTB+. Protection Agencies will no longer be permitted in version 3 per order of Founder FedoraMasterB98.

  • Retail Store
  • Restaurant
  • Rideshare/Transportation (see specific policy for this type)
  • Tourism Agency
  • Logistics or Mail Service
  • Grocery/Convenience Store
  • Gas Station
  • Banking or Financial Service
  • News/Media (see specific policy for this type)
  • Law Firm Church or other social/religious group
  • Protection Agency (see specific policy for this type)
  • Insurance Agency
  • Utility Service (Gas, Electric, Water, etc)
  • Other types not mentioned on either list should be discussed with a CoTB+

The following business types are ones that the Department of Commerce will reject should the owner apply for a business permit.

  • Any Federal, State or Municipal Agencies/Departments (Law Enforcement, Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services, etc)
  • Space Agencies
  • “Bail Bonds” or “Bounty Hunting” agencies
  • Real Estate (until v3 or until otherwise noted)
  • Aviation/Airliners (until v3 or until otherwise noted)
  • Medical Institutions
  • Private Military Organizations
  • Businesses in violation of the Roblox Terms of Services

BUSINESS-SPECIFIC POLICIES

The following businesses have additional regulations which their business must comply with.

  • Rideshare/Transportation Business Policies
  • Business Aviation Information
  • Business Employee Firearms Policies
  • Corporate Entities & Subsidiaries

RIDESHARE/TRANSPORTATION POLICIES

The owner, their representatives, business employees or any externally contracted person(s) who transports a second party may not hold any criminal arrest records from within the past thirty days of the license submission.

BUSINESS AVIATION INFORMATION

A Business Owner or any individual authorized to represent the business may contract a Department of Aviation certified pilot to fly for their business. Contracted pilots may be contracted for any plausible commercial reasons, excluding illegal activities or commercial airlines.

BUSINESS EMPLOYEE FIREARM POLICIES

All members of businesses who intend to carry firearms must abide by the following set of regulations.

  1. All members of the respective business who intend to carry firearms must have a valid Civilian Firearms License (CFL).
  2. All employees that hold a valid CFL may only wield legal firearms purchased through legal dealers.
  3. All employees carrying firearms must follow the orders of peace officers. At no time do the employees have jurisdiction over a law enforcement officer. Should the client be detained by a peace officer, members of the business must back off unless they serve as the client’s attorney.
  4. All members of the business who intend to carry firearms must be clearly identified in the business’s discord through a separate discord role.

PARENT COMPANIES & SUBSIDIARIES

The Firestone Department of Commerce does allow for parent company/subsidiary business relationships under certain conditions. A parent company shall be defined as a business that influences/controls a subsidiary business, while a subsidiary business shall be defined as a business that is influenced/controlled by a parent company through mutual agreement or contractual requirements. Parent Companies and subsidiary businesses shall be required to have separate business permits and may be owned by different individuals.

BUSINESS EMPLOYEE PROTECTIONS

All permitted businesses are expected to abide by the following set of regulations as prescribed in both the Fairer Employment Act and the following list.

  1. Employers and their employees must comply with sections 2, 3 and 5 of the Fairer Employment Act.
  2. Employers must have sufficient evidence before issuing disciplinary action against an employee.
  3. If Employers intend to discipline their employees, they must have violated written policy/standards set by the business. Disciplinary action taken against employees must be done fairly and impartially.
  4. Employees who feel that any disciplinary action taken against them was false, biased, had insufficient evidence or wish to challenge it for other unmentioned reasons may contact the Secretary of Commerce. An investigation into such accusations will then be launched.
  5. Consequences for violating this policy or the Fairer Employment Act are decided on a case-by-case basis. Violations of the Fairer Employment Act Section 2 may be pursued in civil court.

PERMIT RENEWAL AND EXPIRATION POLICIES

Renewal - All standard business permits shall expire exactly 30 days after they have been issued. Once a permit passes its expiration date, the business will not be allowed to operate within the State of Firestone. The only exception to this is if the business is in the process of a renewal inspection. If the business does not file for a renewal inspection, their business permit will be revoked by a member of the Commerce Administration (CoTB+), all properties owned by the business will become public property and shall be made available for other businesses to claim.

Expiration - All business owners/representatives will have 10 days before their business permit expires to request a renewal inspection. If the business does not request for a renewal inspection within the 10 days and their business permit expires, they will need to apply for a new business permit. Businesses that are in the process of having their business permit renewed may continue to operate in the State of Firestone until they either pass or fail their renewal inspection.

Special Permits - All Special Business Permits are handled on a case-by-case basis by Commerce Administration. Special Permits may be revoked by a member of the Commerce Administration at any time for any reason(s) deemed necessary. They may be downgraded to a standard permit or completely revoked depending on the situation.

PERMIT REVOCATION POLICIES

A Business Permit may be revoked by a Commerce Administrator (CoTB+) after discussing with members of the Department Administration. Revocations are considered to be the ‘last resort’ and are used sparingly. After having their permit revoked, the business must wait at least thirty days before reapplying for a new business permit.

BUSINESS AND LAND PERMIT POLICIES

Business Permits will be issued by a Commerce Administrator (CoTB+) or the Chief Inspector should the business successfully pass inspection by the Inspections Office and the Inspection Report is signed. The business permit must remain posted publicly and should be shown to law enforcement or civilians upon request. Businesses which operate without a permit are subject to prosecution as per the Department of Commerce Act. All business permits expire after one month. Business owners who wish to transfer ownership of their business may request to do so using the #rank-property channel in the FDOCM Discord Server. The proposed new owner of the business must accept the transfership.

Land Permits will be issued by a Commerce Administrator (CoTB+). If a business wishes to obtain land, it must be aware of and in compliance with all of the general restrictions and regulations listed in the Land Permit Policy. All available properties can be found on the Commerce Permit Database. All property lines are defined by red lines surrounding the property. Land plots may not be sold to other businesses or individuals unless the business itself is also being sold. The Department of Commerce must be made aware of any changes in the ownership in a permitted business.

Should a State of Emergency be declared by the Governor of the State of Firestone, the Secretary of Commerce may suspend in-game business operations until said State of Emergency is concluded. In-game business operations may be suspended for the safety of all businesses or any other reasons deemed necessary by the Secretary and will be made clear at the time of suspension.

PROPERTY TRAFFIC LAW EXEMPTIONS

The Department of Commerce reserves the right to allow or disallow any business from violating traffic laws on their land permits (refer to this amendment). Property Traffic Law Exemptions are decided on a case-to-case basis. To obtain a Property Traffic Law Exemption, the business owner or authorized business representative may contact a Commerce Administrator (CoTB+) with a valid reason as to why an exemption is necessary for them.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Should you have any questions, be sure to read the Business Guide as it may answer them. You may also join the Department of Commerce Discord Server and contact a commerce employee with your questions. The Secretary of Commerce or the Governor of the State of Firestone may alter this document at any time. Changes to this document will be posted in the Department of Commerce Discord.

Ryan123Superstar Secretary of Commerce

TheGreenLego_Brick Deputy Secretary of Commerce

KensterVids Chairman of the Board of Directors

14 Likes
2
1 Like
3