Starting October 1, 2018 the liquor laws in Oklahoma will go through a profound change. No matter what type of business you are a part of, these law changes will affect your businesses.

The biggest change pertains to 3.2 beer, also know as low point beer. In short, low point beer permits are going away. Sale of all beer will be covered under ABLE, Tax Commission and city liquor licenses.

If you do not have an ABLE liquor license and want to continue to sell beer, you will have to obtain a new license.

There are numerous different types of licenses (Caterer/Mixed Beverage, Mixed Beverage, Beer and Wine, Retail, Package Store, etc.) and one may be better suited to your business than another. Runners can, as always, help you determine which option will work best for you and assist you in obtaining all the proper licenses.

These new laws will affect the licensing of various types of businesses in different ways:

Restaurants, Bars, Casinos:

If you already have an ABLE license you should not need to do anything. You can continue to sell your stock of low point beer after October 1, 2018, as well as strong beer.
If you have only low point beer permits and do not have a liquor license, you must obtain a liquor license of some sort if you wish to continue to sell beer.

There isn’t much sense in waiting to start the application process, you will be able to use a liquor license as soon as it is issued and will not have to wait until October 1, 2018 to sell strong beer, wine &/or mixed drinks.

Convenience Stores, Grocery Stores, Pharmacies, etc.:

Must obtain a retail license to continue to sell beer and you will have the option of selling wine as well. Separate licenses are required for both beer and/or wine.
Alcoholic products can be sold refrigerated.
You will not be allowed to sell spirits.
You can continue to sell your stock of low point beer after October 1, 2018.
Sales will be permitted from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM 7 days a week
Alcohol content can not exceed 8.99% by volume for beer and 15% by volume for wine.
Applications for these licenses can be submitted starting immediately. An “Interim” license will be issued that will allow you to order products up to one month early and begin selling on October 1, 2018. The renewal date for these licenses will be annually on the date of issuance. This will cost you for a license you cannot use until October 1, 2018 but it will guarantee you will not have a lapse in sales. Unfortunately, most of these licenses cannot be prorated. Runners will try to time issuance of permits for you so minimize your expense.

Liquor Stores:

You will be able to sell refrigerated beer and wine. In order to do so an Alteration of Premises must be filed with the ABLE Commission to reflect any changes you have made to your store.
Owners will be allowed to operate 2 locations. Separate licenses must be obtained for each location.
You will continue to be allowed to sell spirits.
You will be allowed to sell cocktail napkins, bottle openers, ice, mixers, etc. so long as the income from such items does not exceed 20% of your income.

Along with these changes there are multiple renewal options that can save you money. Each instance is different and your business’s needs are unique so feel free to contact us to discuss your options. We will be glad to work with you to find the best solution for your situation.

Any low point beer permits issued by the city, county or OTC which expire after October 1, 2018 will not need to be renewed and can be allowed to expire.
Convenience stores or grocery stores that have low point beer permits, which expire before October 1, 2018, will need to renew them in order to continue to sell beer until the change over date.
Restaurants and bars which have a liquor license of some sort can allow their beer permits to expire prior to the change over date but will not be allowed to sell low point beer if you choose to do so. Unfortunately, no refunds are going to be issued so any funds spent on renewals, even for as little as a months worth of use, will be forfeited.

If you obtain low point beer permits for individual events, parties, street festivals, etc. which are open to the public, the new law has not yet addressed all your options. The legislature is still working out some of the details.

As the law stands right now, there are a few things we do know that will affect all businesses:

All employees that handle alcohol will need to obtain an ABLE employee license which will require the completion of an approved training course.
Happy Hours and specials will be allowed so long as the special is at least 6% lower than the standard cost.
All beer will be taxed at the same rate.
The wholesale and distribution tiers are changing. You will most likely be ordering your product from more distributors than the few you are now.
Restaurants and bars will be able to start selling alcohol at 8:00 AM and cities can extend that time to 6:00AM if they choose.

The ABLE Commission asked Runners Licensing to create their new applications and the new interim retail license. ABLE does not have a Graphic Designer on staff and does not have the budget to pay for the creation of new forms. The new forms have been completed but much of the rest of the application process will remain the same.

Due to the massive number of new applications, ABLE is already overwhelmed. License processing is taking up to 90 days from date of submission. Basically, if you haven’t submitted your application by July 1, 2018 you most likely will not have your licenses in time. Runners can help you expedite the process to some degree as our license specialists know the process inside and out and we work hand in hand with many of the government agencies that issues licenses or documents required to obtain the licenses.

Please do not hesitate to call or email us with any questions. Runners Licensing is here to help you however we can. We look forward to working with you to make this transition as painless as possible.