No person shall own or operate a place of assembly within this state unless licensed so to do by the licensing agency of the state, city, town, or village district where said place of assembly is located, including assemblies occurring on state waters or ice formed on state waters, in accordance with the regulations herein promulgated. In the application of this act to existing places of assembly the licensing agency may modify such of its provisions as would require structural changes if in his or her opinion adequate safety may be obtained otherwise and provided that a permanent record is kept of such modifications and the reasons therefor.