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H 8250Alcohol

Alcoholic Beverages - Retail Licenses

This bill allows Rhode Island distilleries to obtain a special license to serve their own alcohol at weddings and events.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 6, 2026Committee House Small Business

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends Rhode Island's liquor laws to create a new "distillery off-premise event endorsement" for Class P (Caterer) licenses. It allows licensed distilleries within the state to sell and serve the spirits they manufacture at designated events such as weddings, festivals, and corporate functions. Distilleries can use mobile bar units or temporary structures for these events. The Department of Business Regulation is tasked with establishing specific rules for these endorsements, including insurance standards, server training, and requirements for notifying municipalities.

For younger readers

Right now, businesses that make their own alcohol, called distilleries, usually have to stay in their own building to sell their drinks. This new rule changes that. It lets these businesses go to parties, weddings, or festivals and serve the drinks they made right there using a mobile bar. They have to get a special permission slip called a license first. They also have to follow strict safety rules, like checking IDs to make sure people are old enough to drink and not serving too much to one person.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
DistilleriesEvent PlannersWedding VenuesCaterersDepartment of Business Regulation
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Supports local economic development by expanding business opportunities for small, local manufacturers and artisans, potentially creating jobs and strengthening the local food and beverage ecosystem.
  • Encourages community engagement and tourism by allowing local distilleries to participate directly in festivals and cultural events, fostering a sense of local pride and place.
  • Maintains regulatory oversight through the Department of Business Regulation, ensuring that public safety and responsible service standards are upheld despite the expansion of sales venues.
  • Increases the availability and accessibility of high-proof alcohol in public spaces and events, which could contribute to public health concerns regarding substance use.
  • Could potentially lead to increased noise or nuisance issues in residential neighborhoods where private events or weddings are held, affecting the quality of life for local residents.
  • Relies on the enforcement capacity of state and local agencies, which may already be stretched thin, potentially leading to inadequate oversight of these mobile operations.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces government barriers to trade by allowing business owners to sell their own products in more venues, promoting free enterprise and market competition.
  • Empowers business owners to maximize their revenue streams without relying on government subsidies, fostering financial independence and growth for local manufacturers.
  • Respects the rights of business owners to utilize their property (mobile units and inventory) to conduct commerce freely, provided they adhere to basic safety standards.
  • Expands the regulatory state by granting the Department of Business Regulation broad authority to promulgate new rules, insurance standards, and potential caps on business activities.
  • Mandates municipal consent or notification procedures, which adds layers of bureaucratic red tape that could slow down or block legitimate business activities.
  • Imposes additional fees and potential fines on businesses, serving as a revenue generation tool for the state rather than solely focusing on public safety.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 20 additions · 2 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 3-7-14.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 3-7 entitled "Retail Licenses" is hereby amended to read as follows: 3-7-14.2. Class P licenses — Caterers Class P licenses -- Caterers -- Distillery off- premises event endorsement.

(a) A caterer licensed by the department of health and the division of taxation shall be eligible to apply for a Class P license from the department of business regulation. The department of business regulation is authorized to issue all caterers’ licenses. The license will be valid throughout this state as a state license and no further license will be required or tax imposed by any city or town upon this alcoholic beverage privilege. Each caterer to which the license is issued shall pay to the department of business regulation an annual fee of five hundred dollars ($500) for the license, which fees are paid into the state treasury. The department is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation of this license. In promulgating said rules, the department shall include, but is not limited to, the following standards:

(1) Proper identification will be required for individuals who look thirty (30) years old or younger and who are ordering alcoholic beverages;

(2) Only valid ID’s as defined by these titles are acceptable;

(3) An individual may not be served more than two (2) drinks at a time;

(4) Licensees, their agents, or employees will not serve visibly intoxicated individuals;

(5) Licensees may only serve alcoholic beverages for no more than a five-hour (5) period per event;

(6) Only a licensee, or its employees, may serve alcoholic beverages at the event;

(7) The licensee will deliver and remove alcoholic beverages to the event; and

(8) No shots or triple alcoholic drinks will be served.

(b) Any bartender employed by the licensee shall be certified by a nationally recognized alcohol beverage server training program.

(c) The licensee shall purchase at retail all alcoholic beverages from a licensed Class A alcohol retail establishment located in the state, provided, however, any licensee who also holds a Class B license, issued pursuant to the provisions of § 3-7-7, shall be allowed to purchase alcoholic beverages at wholesale. Any person violating this section shall be fined five hundred dollars ($500) for this violation and shall be subject to license revocation. The provisions of this section shall be enforced in accordance with this title.

(d) Violation of subsection subsections (a) or (e) of this section is punishable upon conviction by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500). Fines imposed under this section shall be paid to the department of business regulation.

(e) A licensed distillery manufacturer, licensed under the provisions of chapter 6 of title 3 (“manufacturing and wholesale licenses”), shall be eligible to apply for a distillery off-premise event endorsement under a Class P license. This endorsement authorizes the licensed distillery to sell and serve distilled spirits manufactured by the licensee at designated events, including private celebrations, weddings, corporate functions, festivals, ticketed events, and other temporary gatherings approved by the department using a mobile bar unit or temporary service structure.

(f) The department of business regulation shall promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation of the distillery off-premise event endorsement including, but not limited to:

(1) Event permit requirements;

(2) Insurance and liability standards;

(3) Responsible server training requirements;

(4) Municipal consent or notification procedures; and

(5) Caps or limits on annual endorsements if needed to protect public safety.

(g) Nothing in this section authorizes the sale of distilled spirits other than those manufactured by the licensed distillery.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.