Terms of Service

Last updated: May 2025

Section 1: Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Orange County Scoop (“the Site,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) at orangecountyscoop.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Site.

We reserve the right to update these terms at any time. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms. We will indicate the date of the most recent update at the top of this page.

Section 2: Who We Are

Orange County Scoop is a local directory and community guide for Orange County, California. We publish listings for restaurants, events, car shows, things to do, ice cream shops, and service businesses across all 34 OC cities. We also publish editorial stories written by contributors who live in Orange County.

Section 3: Use of the Site

Permitted use.

You may browse, search, and use Orange County Scoop for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may share links to listings and stories on social media or other platforms.

Prohibited conduct.

You agree not to:

• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent listing information
• Impersonate another business, person, or entity
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically download content from the Site without written permission
• Use the Site to send unsolicited commercial communications
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Site or its related systems
• Use automated tools to submit listings or interact with the Site in ways not intended for human users
• Post content that is defamatory, harassing, obscene, or otherwise unlawful
• Violate any applicable local, state, or federal laws in connection with your use of the Site

We reserve the right to terminate access for anyone who violates these terms.

Section 4: Business Owner Accounts

Account creation.

Business owners may create an account to submit and manage listings. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

Accurate information.

By creating an account and submitting a listing, you represent that all information you provide is accurate, current, and complete. You agree to update your listing promptly if any information changes.

Listing approval.

All new listings are reviewed by our team before going live. We reserve the right to approve, reject, or remove any listing at our sole discretion, including listings that are inaccurate, duplicative, inappropriate, or do not fit the scope of the Site.

Listing edits.

Once your listing is approved, you may edit it at any time through your dashboard. Edits go live immediately without re-approval. You remain responsible for the accuracy of your listing at all times.

Account termination.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if you violate these terms, submit fraudulent information, or engage in conduct that we determine is harmful to the Site or its users.

Section 5: Sponsored Listings

Sponsored listing subscriptions are processed through Stripe. By upgrading to a Sponsored listing you authorize us to charge your payment method on a monthly recurring basis at the rate displayed at the time of purchase.

Cancellation.

You may cancel your sponsored listing subscription at any time through your dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. We do not offer refunds for partial months.

Changes to pricing.

We reserve the right to change sponsored listing pricing at any time. We will provide at least 30 days notice before any price increase takes effect for existing subscribers.

Featured placement.

Sponsored listings are displayed before free listings in search results and category pages. We do not guarantee a specific position or level of traffic. Sponsored status is a paid placement, not an editorial endorsement.

Section 6: User-Submitted Content

By submitting a listing, story tip, or any other content to Orange County Scoop, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display, reproduce, and distribute that content on the Site and in our newsletter and social media channels.

You represent that you own or have the necessary rights to any content you submit, including photographs, and that your content does not infringe the rights of any third party.

We are not responsible for the accuracy of user-submitted content. Listings represent the claims of the business owner and do not constitute editorial endorsement by Orange County Scoop.

Section 7: Intellectual Property

All original content on Orange County Scoop — including editorial stories, design, graphics, logos, and the OC Scoop name and mark — is the property of Orange County Scoop and is protected by applicable copyright and trademark laws.

You may not reproduce, republish, or redistribute our original editorial content without written permission. You may quote brief excerpts with attribution and a link back to the original page.

The Orange County Scoop logo and mark may not be used without written permission.

Section 8: Third-Party Links and Services

The Site may contain links to third-party websites, including business websites listed in our directory. These links are provided for convenience only. We do not endorse and are not responsible for the content, products, or services of any third-party site.

We use the following third-party services in connection with operating the Site:

• Supabase — database and authentication
• Stripe — payment processing for sponsored listings
• Vercel — website hosting
• Tavr.io / Sendy — email newsletter delivery

Each of these services has its own terms of service and privacy policy which govern their use of data.

Section 9: Disclaimers

Orange County Scoop is provided “as is” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components.

We do not verify the accuracy of business listings and make no representations about the quality, safety, or legality of any listed business. You use information on the Site at your own risk.

Business hours, prices, and other details may change without notice. Always contact a business directly to confirm current information before visiting.

Section 10: Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Orange County Scoop and its owners, employees, and contributors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Site or any content on it, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total liability for any claim arising from these terms or your use of the Site shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the twelve months preceding the claim, or $100, whichever is greater.

Section 11: Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these terms shall be resolved in the courts of Orange County, California.

Section 12: Contact

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us at:

Orange County Scoop
hello@orangecountyscoop.com
orangecountyscoop.com