Prohibiting price gouging during emergencies

This chapter applies to the regulation of prices of emergency items and services upon proclamation of a local emergency or disaster. It makes it unlawful for any merchant, person, contractor, business or other entity to increase prices, or sell or offer to sell any emergency items or services for a price which is more than ten (10%) percent greater than the price charged by such person or business immediately prior to the proclamation of the local emergency, unless the person or business can prove that the excess was directly attributable to additional costs imposed by the supplier of the emergency items, or resulting from increased cost of labor and/or cost of materials used to provide the emergency service.