Terms of Use

1. Agreeing to these terms

By using yourhometownguide.com, our newsletter, or business accounts (the “Service”), you agree to these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service. In these terms, “Your Hometown Guide,” “we,” “us,” and “our” mean Your Hometown Guide and its owner. “You” means anyone who uses the Service, including a business you represent.

2. What the Service is

Your Hometown Guide is an independent community guide to events, local businesses, and things to do. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any city, county, school district, or public agency, and nothing on the site is an official government notice.

Much of our information comes from public sources and is gathered and organized with the help of automated and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Dates, times, prices, hours, and other details can change or be wrong. Always confirm with the event organizer or business before you go. If you spot a mistake, email us and we will fix it.

3. Who can use the Service

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. You must be at least 18 years old, and able to enter into a contract, to create a business account, submit content for a business, or buy a package.

4. Business accounts

• Give accurate information and keep it up to date.
• Only create or claim a listing for a business you own or are authorized to represent.
• Keep your password secure. You are responsible for activity in your account.
• Tell us right away at contact@yourhometownguide.com if you think your account has been used without permission.

5. Content you submit

“Your content” means anything you submit, such as listings, event details, photos, logos, flyers, and descriptions.

• You keep ownership of your content.
• You give us permission (a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license) to host, display, copy, format, resize, translate (for example, into Spanish), and share your content on the Service, in our newsletter, on our social media pages, and in ads for the Service, for as long as it is on the Service and for a reasonable time after it is removed.
• You promise that you have the right to share your content, including any photos, and that it is accurate and does not break any law or anyone else’s rights.
• We review submissions before they go live. Submitting is free, but approval is not guaranteed. We may edit content for length, clarity, formatting, or accuracy, and we may decline or remove any content at any time.

6. Content rules

Do not submit or post content that:

• is false, misleading, or a fake event or business;
• is illegal, or promotes illegal activity;
• infringes someone else’s copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights;
• is hateful, harassing, threatening, discriminatory, sexually explicit, or violent;
• contains spam, malware, or misleading links;
• includes someone else’s personal information without permission.

You also agree not to scrape, copy in bulk, overload, hack, or interfere with the Service, or use it to send spam.

7. Listings and events we create

We may create listings and event posts from publicly available information so neighbors can find local businesses and activities. If you own or represent a listed business, you can claim the listing for free, ask us to correct it, or ask us to remove it. A listing on the Service does not mean the business has endorsed or paid for it, and it does not mean we recommend the business.

8. Paid packages and highlighted events

We offer optional paid packages (currently Local, Spotlight, and Hometown Hero) and paid highlighting for events. Current prices and features are shown on our Advertise page and at checkout.

• Automatic renewal: packages are monthly subscriptions that renew automatically each month and are charged to your payment method until you cancel. Before you buy, we will show you the price, how often you will be charged, and how to cancel, and we will ask for your consent.
• Cancel anytime: you can cancel online in your business dashboard or by emailing contact@yourhometownguide.com. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing month, and your package features stay active until then. We will send you a confirmation when you cancel.
• Refunds: we do not give refunds for partial months, except where required by law or if we fail to provide what you paid for. A fee for highlighting an event is non-refundable once the highlighted event has been published. If we decline your event, we will refund the fee.
• Price changes: we will give you at least 30 days’ notice by email before changing the price of an active package. You can cancel before the change takes effect.
• Founding member pricing: founding member discounts last as long as your package stays active without a break. If you cancel and come back later, regular prices apply.
• Labels: paid placements are labeled (for example, “Featured,” “Spotlight,” or “Sponsored”). A paid placement is advertising, not a recommendation from us.
• Payments are processed by Stripe, subject to Stripe’s terms. You are responsible for any taxes that apply.
• Paid placement changes where and how often your listing or event appears. It does not guarantee a number of visitors, calls, or customers.

9. Our content and brand

The design of the Service, our logo, the names “Your Hometown Guide” and “Your [City] Guide,” and the content we write belong to us. You may share links to our pages. Do not copy large parts of the Service or use our brand in a way that suggests we endorse you without our written permission.

10. Events, businesses, and other websites

We do not organize, run, or supervise the events listed on the Service, and we do not control the businesses listed. Any purchase, booking, or other dealing you have with an event organizer or business is between you and them. You attend events and use businesses at your own risk. Links to other websites are provided for convenience, and we are not responsible for their content or practices.

11. Copyright complaints

If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, email contact@yourhometownguide.com with: your contact information; a description of the work; the link to the content; a statement that you believe in good faith the use is not authorized; and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act for the owner. We will remove infringing content and may close the accounts of repeat infringers.

12. Disclaimers

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent allowed by law, we make no warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of accuracy, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not promise that the Service will always be available, error-free, or secure.

13. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent allowed by law, we will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, or personal injury or property damage connected to any event or business listed on the Service. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim or (b) $100. Some laws do not allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you.

14. Your responsibility for your content

If you submit content or use a business account, you agree to defend and cover us (indemnify us) against claims, losses, and costs, including reasonable attorney fees, that come from your content, your business, or your breaking these terms or the law.

15. Suspending or ending access

You can stop using the Service at any time and can ask us to close your business account. We may suspend or close accounts, or remove content, if you break these terms, if required by law, or to protect the Service or other users. Sections that by their nature should continue (such as 5, 9, and 12 through 17) continue after your account ends.

16. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California. Before filing a claim, please email us so we can try to resolve it informally within 30 days. Any dispute that is not resolved will be handled in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California, and you and we agree to those courts’ jurisdiction. Either of us may bring a qualifying claim in small claims court.

17. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. We will post the new version here and change the effective date at the top. If the changes are important, we will email business account holders at least 30 days before they apply to paid packages. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept them.

18. Other terms

These terms and our Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and us about the Service. If any part is found unenforceable, the rest still applies. If we do not enforce a part of these terms right away, we can still enforce it later. You may not transfer your rights under these terms. We may transfer ours if the Service is sold or transferred.

19. Notice for California users

Under California Civil Code § 1789.3, California users are entitled to this notice: the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs may be contacted in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.

20. Contact us

Questions about these terms: contact@yourhometownguide.com.