Wisconsin Attorney General Issues Opinion on Liquor Licenses at Private Events in Public Spaces
Tuesday, November 27th, 2018 -- 10:59 AM
(AP) -Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel says private events in public spaces need liquor licenses.Schimel quietly issued an informal opinion Nov. 16 at the request of state Rep. Rob Swearingen, a member of the Assembly tourism committee. Swearingen asked Schimel to interpret statutes that prohibit owners of public places from allowing alcohol without a license. The statutes don’t define public places. Schimel wrote there’s no distinction between a public place that hosts an event open to everyone and a public place that can be rented out for a limited private event.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative law firm, issued a news release Monday calling the opinion an “extreme interpretation” that threatens wedding barns. The firm says an event on private property clearly isn’t a public place.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.