Temporary alcohol beverage retail licenses. (FE)

This bill authorizes municipalities to issue temporary Class "B" and "Class B" licenses to local chambers of commerce, and similar civic or trade organizations, organized as nonstock corporations with the Department of Financial Institutions.

The bill also creates a limited exception to the two-license limit for temporary "Class B" licenses that allows a municipality to issue up to 20 temporary "Class B" licenses to the same licensee if all of the following apply: 1) each license is issued for the same date and times and the licensee is the sponsor of an event, of not more than one day in duration, held at multiple locations within the municipality on this date and at these times; 2) an admission fee is charged for participation in the event and no additional fee is charged for service of alcohol at the event; and 3) within the previous 12 months, the municipality has issued such multiple-location event licenses for only one other such event or for no other events. Each event for which a municipality issues multiple-location event licenses as described above is counted as one license toward the licensee's two-license limit for a temporary "Class B" license.

Under current law, with exceptions, a Class "B" license may not be issued for premises where another business is conducted.

This bill creates a limited exception under which a temporary Class "B" license may be issued for premises where another business is conducted if all of the following apply: 1) the license is one of multiple licenses issued by the municipality to the same licensee for the same date and times; 2) the licensee is the sponsor of an event held at multiple locations within the municipality on this date and at these times; and 3) an admission fee is charged for participation in the event and no additional fee is charged for service of alcohol at the event.

The bill further clarifies that a temporary "Class B" license for wine may be issued by a municipality without also issuing a temporary Class "B" license for beer and also provides discretion to a municipality in setting the fee for a temporary "Class B" license, which may not exceed $10 (the fee under current law).

Current law requires the Department of Revenue (DOR) to prepare a booklet explaining the state statutes and rules relating to the retail sale of alcohol beverages and to provide copies of the booklet to municipalities for distribution to licensees.

This bill requires DOR to update its discussion of "wine walks" in this booklet (Publication 302, Wisconsin Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco Laws for Retailers), to reflect statutory changes in the bill.