(1) There is a beer and wine retailer's license to be designated as a tavern license to sell beer, including strong beer, or wine, or both, at retail, for consumption on the premises. Such licenses may be issued only to a person operating a tavern that may be frequented only by persons twenty-one years of age and older.
(2)(a) The annual fee for the license is two hundred dollars for the beer license, two hundred dollars for the wine license, or four hundred dollars for a combination beer and wine license. Licensees who have a fee increase of more than one hundred dollars as a result of this change shall have their fees increased fifty percent of the amount the first renewal year and the remaining amount beginning with the second renewal period. New licensees obtaining a license after July 1, 1998, must pay the full amount of four hundred dollars.
(b) The annual fees in (a) of this subsection are waived during the 12-month period beginning with the second calendar month after February 28, 2021, for:
(i) Licenses that expire during the 12-month waiver period under this subsection (2)(b); and
(ii) Licenses issued to persons previously licensed under this section at any time during the 12-month period prior to the 12-month waiver period under this subsection (2)(b).
(c) The waivers in (b) of this subsection do not apply to any licensee that:
(i) Had their license suspended by the board for health and safety violations of state COVID-19 guidelines; or
(ii) Received an order of immediate restraint or citation from the department of labor and industries for allowing an employee to perform work where business activity was prohibited in violation of an emergency proclamation of the governor under RCW
43.06.220.
(d) Upon request of the department of revenue, the board and the department of labor and industries must both provide a list of persons that they have determined to be ineligible for a fee waiver under (b) of this subsection for the reasons described in (c) of this subsection. Unless otherwise agreed, any list must be received by the department of revenue no later than 15 calendar days after the request is made.
(3)(a) The board may issue a caterer's endorsement to this license to allow the licensee to remove from the liquor stocks at the licensed premises, only those types of liquor that are authorized under the on-premises license privileges for sale and service at event locations at a specified date and, except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, place not currently licensed by the board. If the event is open to the public, it must be sponsored by a society or organization as defined by RCW
66.24.375. If attendance at the event is limited to members or invited guests of the sponsoring individual, society, or organization, the requirement that the sponsor must be a society or organization as defined by RCW
66.24.375 is waived. Cost of the endorsement is three hundred fifty dollars.
(b) The holder of this license with a catering endorsement must, if requested by the board, notify the board or its designee of the date, time, place, and location of any catered event. Upon request, the licensee must provide to the board all necessary or requested information concerning the society or organization that will be holding the function at which the endorsed license will be utilized.
(c) The holder of this license with a caterer's endorsement may, under conditions established by the board, store liquor on the premises of another not licensed by the board so long as there is a written agreement between the licensee and the other party to provide for ongoing catering services, the agreement contains no exclusivity clauses regarding the alcoholic beverages to be served, and the agreement is filed with the board.
(d) The holder of this license with a caterer's endorsement may, under conditions established by the board, store liquor on other premises operated by the licensee so long as the other premises are owned or controlled by a leasehold interest by that licensee. A duplicate license may be issued for each additional premises. A license fee of twenty dollars is required for such duplicate licenses.
(4) Licensees under this section that hold a caterer's endorsement are allowed to use this endorsement on a domestic winery premises and may store liquor at such premises under conditions established by the board under the following conditions:
(a) Agreements between the domestic winery and the retail licensee must be in writing, contain no exclusivity clauses regarding the alcoholic beverages to be served, and be filed with the board; and
(b) The domestic winery and the retail licensee may be separately contracted and compensated by the persons sponsoring the event for their respective services.
(5) The holder of this license or its manager may furnish beer or wine to the licensee's employees free of charge as may be required for use in connection with instruction on beer and wine. The instruction may include the history, nature, values, and characteristics of beer or wine, the use of wine lists, and the methods of presenting, serving, storing, and handling beer or wine. The tavern licensee must use the beer or wine it obtains under its license for the sampling as part of the instruction. The instruction must be given on the premises of the tavern licensee.
(6) Any person serving liquor at a catered event on behalf of a licensee with a caterer's endorsement under this section must be an employee of the licensee and must possess a class 12 alcohol server permit as required under RCW
66.20.310.
(7) The board may issue rules as necessary to implement the requirements of this section.
