ID Under 35 Is Best When It Comes to New Year Laws
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
By David Gaudet
Another mid-term election has come and gone. In its wake, and slated to take form in the New Year, are amended laws altering the sale of alcohol in a handful of states.
Bars and restaurants in New York were given the green light to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption through 2026. The newly minted legislation specifies that drinks must be in sealed containers, paired with a food item and sold during permitted hours. Bar and restaurant employees passing drinks onto consumers are responsible for verifying identity and age.1
Approximately 900 hundred miles south, the Sunday Alcohol Sales Measure passed in Georgia, allowing residents to now purchase alcohol from grocery stores, wine shops, and other storefronts beginning at 11 a.m. The Sunday purchase timeframe was also, extended from 11:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Previously, shoppers could only purchase spirits from 12:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Sundays.2
Grocery and c-stores in Colorado can now add wine to their shelves, and they can host ever-popular beer and wine tastings, too. Wine sales commence in March 2023. According to the Secretary of State, the initiative narrowly passed, with 50.6% of voters in favor and 49.4% against. Other alcohol-related measures, including an increase to the number of stores a liquor store chain could operate and third-party delivery, did not pass.3 The Centennial State approved the sale of full-strength beer at grocery stores in 2016.
Safeguard your business from changing laws, no matter the time of year, and alcohol-serving mishaps, with an ID under 35 policy. If not a practice already, consider adding to your list of policies one that establishes proof of ID for patrons under the age of 35. Enacting a policy such as this ensures your employees know who and how to ID. Additionally, it upholds a positive, non-offensive customer experience and can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
For questions about an “ID under 35” policy, please contact The BARS Program at 1-877-540-5500, or visit www.barsprogram.com. We draw upon our years of compliance expertise to ensure a well-documented, error-proof policy that your employees can follow and customers won’t take offense to.
Sources
New York State, 04/09/2022; Governor Hochul Announces Sale of Alcoholic Beverages 'To-Go' Now Legal as Part of FY 2023 Budget
Atlanta News First, 11/09/2022; Atlanta votes to extend Sunday alcohol sales hours
CPR News, 11/24/2022; Prop 125 narrowly passes. Coloradans will be able to buy wine in grocery stores soon
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