The legislature recognizes the value of the special occasion liquor license to nonprofit organizations who organize and host community events that include as one component, responsible service and consumption of alcoholic beverages. These community events can be substantial endeavors to plan, finance, and host for a nonprofit organization, and so ensuring the organization stays in compliance with applicable laws and rules is a top priority. Nevertheless, it is understandable that inadvertent regulatory violations may nevertheless occur from time to time despite due diligence. It is the legislature's intent that special occasion licensees, who lack a willful intent to violate laws or rules, be provided when appropriate with warnings, technical assistance, and then reasonable civil penalties, without risk of losing the ability to continue operating under the license.
There is a retailer's license to be designated as a special occasion license to be issued to a not-for-profit society or organization to sell spirits, beer, and wine by the individual serving for on-premises consumption at a specified event, such as at picnics or other special occasions, at a specified date and place; fee sixty dollars per day.
(1) The not-for-profit society or organization is limited to sales of no more than twelve calendar days per year. For the purposes of this subsection, special occasion licensees that are "agricultural area fairs" or "agricultural county, district, and area fairs," as defined by RCW 15.76.120, that receive a special occasion license may, once per calendar year, count as one event fairs that last multiple days, so long as alcohol sales are at set dates, times, and locations, and the board receives prior notification of the dates, times, and locations. The special occasion license applicant will pay the sixty dollars per day for this event.
(2) The licensee may sell spirits, beer, and/or wine in original, unopened containers for off-premises consumption if permission is obtained from the board prior to the event.
(3) In addition to offering the sale of wine by the individual serving for on-premises consumption, the licensee may sell wine in original, unopened containers for on-premises consumption if permission is obtained from the board prior to the event.
(4) Sale, service, and consumption of spirits, beer, and wine is to be confined to specified premises or designated areas only.
(5) Liquor sold under this special occasion license must be purchased from a licensee of the board.
(6)