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SF0042 • 2025

Resort hotel liquor licenses.

AN ACT relating to alcoholic beverages; authorizing resort hotel liquor licenses; specifying requirements for the resort hotel liquor license and licensees; making conforming amendments; providing and amending definitions; and providing for an effective date.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Senator Gierau
Last action
2025-02-24
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the impact of this legislation on local economies or tourism.

Resort Hotel Liquor Licenses

This law allows resort hotels to obtain special liquor licenses if they meet certain criteria, and sets specific requirements for these licenses.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows counties, cities, or towns to issue special liquor licenses to owners or lessees of a resort hotel that meets specified requirements.
  • Requires the resort hotel to have an actual valuation of at least $5 million, include a full-service restaurant open during regular business hours (seasonal variances may be granted), and offer room service for at least twelve hours daily.
  • Requires the hotel to provide meeting spaces for up to 50 people and have at least twenty sleeping rooms available for short-term stays.
  • Exempts resort hotels from population limits that usually apply to liquor licenses in cities or towns.
  • Sets an annual fee of between $500 and $3,000 for the special liquor license.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Owners or lessees of resort hotels who want to get a special liquor license.
  • Counties, cities, or towns that issue these licenses.
  • Registered guests at resort hotels who can buy unopened bottles of alcohol for on-premises consumption.

Terms To Know

Resort hotel
A large hotel with many amenities and services, often in a scenic location.
Liquor license
A permit that allows businesses to sell alcoholic drinks.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law only applies to resort hotels meeting specific criteria.
  • It does not specify how the licensing authority will decide on variances for restaurant hours.
  • The exact impact on local economies and tourism is uncertain.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0042HS001

Standing Committee • House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Re

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for resort hotel liquor licenses by adding specific criteria for a full-service restaurant.

  • Adds a requirement that resort hotels with liquor licenses must have a full-service restaurant open during regular business hours.
  • Defines 'full-service restaurant' as one where waiters serve food and drinks from a menu, includes dining rooms, kitchens, and necessary staff.
  • The amendment does not specify how the licensing authority will determine seasonal variances for operating hours of the full-service restaurant.
SF0042S3001

3rd reading • Senator Hicks

Divided

Plain English: The amendment changes requirements for resort hotel liquor licenses by modifying distance restrictions, financial thresholds, and removing certain local government references.

  • Removes the requirement that a resort hotel be located in a county but not within a city or town.
  • Changes the minimum distance from corporate boundaries of any city or town to five miles.
  • Reduces the financial threshold for eligibility from ten million dollars to five million dollars.
  • The amendment text does not provide full context, so some implications and details are unclear without reviewing the original bill.
SF0042S3001.01

3rd reading • Senator Hicks

Corrected, Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the financial requirements for resort hotel liquor licenses by lowering certain monetary thresholds.

  • Reduces the maximum allowed value from ten million dollars to five million dollars.
  • Decreases the number of required rooms from thirty-five to twenty.
SF0042S3001.02

3rd reading • Senator Hicks

Corrected, Failed

Plain English: The amendment removes references to cities and towns in certain sections and adds a requirement for resort hotels to be at least five miles away from any city or town's limits.

  • Removes the phrase 'city or town' from the bill text.
  • Adds a new requirement that resort hotels must be located at least five miles from the corporate boundaries of any city or town.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if a resort hotel is already within five miles of a city or town's boundary when applying for a liquor license.
SF0042S3002

3rd reading • Senator Gierau

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes the requirements for resort hotel liquor licenses by specifying that hotels must have a full-service restaurant open at least twelve hours daily and six days weekly.

  • Adds a requirement for resort hotels to include a full-service restaurant in their premises.
  • Specifies that this restaurant must be open for business for at least twelve hours each day and six days per week.
  • Allows the licensing authority to grant exceptions to these opening times on a seasonal basis.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if a hotel fails to meet these requirements after receiving a variance.

Bill History

  1. 2025-02-24 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 37

  2. 2025-02-24 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0007

  3. 2025-02-20 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0007

  4. 2025-02-19 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0007

  5. 2025-02-18 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0007

  6. 2025-02-18 Senate

    S Concur:Passed 20-8-1-0-2

  7. 2025-02-18 Senate

    S Received for Concurrence

  8. 2025-02-18 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 43-18-1-0-0

  9. 2025-02-14 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  10. 2025-02-13 House

    H COW:Passed

  11. 2025-02-11 House

    H Placed on General File

  12. 2025-02-11 House

    H06 - Travel:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0

  13. 2025-02-10 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H06 - Travel

  14. 2025-01-30 House

    H Received for Introduction

  15. 2025-01-29 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 23-5-0-0-3

  16. 2025-01-28 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Laid Back

  17. 2025-01-27 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Laid Back

  18. 2025-01-24 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  19. 2025-01-23 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  20. 2025-01-22 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  21. 2025-01-22 Senate

    S07 - Corporations:Recommend Do Pass 3-1-0-0-1

  22. 2025-01-16 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S07 - Corporations

  23. 2024-12-19 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  24. 2024-12-16 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 25LSO-0287

Bill No.:

SF0042

Effective:

7/1/2025

LSO No.:

25LSO-0287

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0007

Chapter No.:

37

Prime Sponsor:

Gierau

Catch Title:

Resort hotel liquor licenses.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Authorizing the issuance of resort hotel liquor licenses.

Summary/Major Elements:

This act authorizes the appropriate licensing authority in counties, cities, and towns to issue resort hotel liquor licenses to the owners or lessees of a resort hotel.

In order to qualify for a resort hotel liquor license, the resort hotel must:

Have an actual valuation of (or a commitment to expend or have actually expended) five million dollars ($5,000,000.00).
Include a full-service restaurant that generally is open during business hours.
Include at least twenty (20) sleeping rooms for short-term occupancy.
Providing in-room dining services for at least twelve (12) hours each day.
Provide facilities for business meetings for at least fifty (50) participants.

Resort hotel liquor licenses are not subject to the population formula that limits retail liquor licenses in counties, cities, and towns.

The annual fee for a resort hotel liquor license is between five hundred dollars ($500.00) and three thousand dollars ($3,000.00).

Resort hotels are authorized in the act to sell an unopened bottle of liquor or wine to a registered guest for consumption on the premises of the resort hotel.

The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
25LSO-0287

ORIGINAL Senate

ENGROSSED
File No
.
SF0042

ENROLLED ACT NO. 7,

SENATE

SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 General Session

AN ACT relating to alcoholic beverages; authorizing resort hotel liquor licenses; specifying requirements for the resort hotel liquor license and licensees; making conforming amendments; providing and amending definitions; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 12
‑
4
‑
416 is created to read:

12
‑
4
‑
416.

Resort hotel liquor licenses; authorized; requirements.

(a)

The appropriate licensing authority in a county, city or town may issue resort hotel liquor licenses to applicants who are owners or lessees of a resort hotel that satisfies all requirements specified in subsection (b) of this section.

(b)

To qualify for a resort hotel liquor license under this section, the appropriate licensing authority shall require the resort hotel to:

(i)

Have an actual valuation of, or the applicant shall commit to expend or have actually expended on the resort hotel, not less than five million dollars ($5,000,000.00). Any valuation under this paragraph shall include the value of the land on which the resort hotel is located;

(ii)

Include a full-service restaurant that shall be open during regular business hours. At the discretion of the appropriate licensing authority, variances to this time requirement may be granted on a seasonal basis. As used in this paragraph, "full-service restaurant" means a restaurant where waiters deliver food and drink offered from a printed food menu to patrons at tables or booths and that has a dining room or rooms, kitchen and the number and kind of employees necessary for the preparing, cooking and serving of meals;

(iii)

Include within the resort hotel not less than twenty (20) sleeping rooms for short
‑
term occupancy;

(iv)

Provide dining services to guest rooms for not less than twelve (12) hours each day; and

(v)

Provide facilities for business meetings that can accommodate not less than fifty (50) participants.

Section 2.

W.S. 12
‑
1
‑
101(a)(viii)(intro), (T) and by creating a new subparagraph (W), 12
‑
4
‑
103(a)(iii), 12
‑
4
‑
403 through 12
‑
4
‑
405, 12
‑
4
‑
414(b)(iv), 12
‑
4
‑
415(b)(iv) and 12
‑
5
‑
201(f) are amended to read:

12
‑
1
‑
101.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in this title:

(viii)

"Licensee" means a person holding
a
any one (1) or more of the following
:

(T)

Special malt beverage permit issued under W.S. 12
‑
4
‑
504;
or

(W)

Resort hotel liquor license.

12
‑
4
‑
103.

Restrictions upon license or permit applicants and holders; license limitation per person.

(a)

A license or permit authorized by this title shall not be held by, issued or transferred to:

(iii)

Any person who does not own the building or hold a written lease for the period for which the license will be effective containing an agreement by the lessor that alcoholic or malt beverages may be sold upon the leased premises, except as provided by paragraph (iv) of this subsection. This paragraph shall not be interpreted to prevent the use of a resort liquor license
or a resort hotel liquor license
by a contractor or subcontractor as permitted by W.S. 12
‑
4
‑
403(b);

12
‑
4
‑
403.

Population formula not applicable; contracting for services.

(a)

The provisions authorizing resort liquor licenses
and resort hotel liquor licenses shall
have no application to the population formula limiting retail liquor licenses as provided by W.S. 12
‑
4
‑
201.

(b)

A resort liquor licensee
or a resort hotel liquor licensee
may contract or subcontract for the provision of food and beverage services on the licensed premises. However, the
resort liquor
licensee shall remain subject to all applicable laws, rules, regulations and penalties including the provisions of W.S. 12
‑
2
‑
306 and 12
‑
7
‑
103.

12
‑
4
‑
404.

Sale of beverages for off
‑
premises consumption prohibited.

Resort liquor licensees
and resort hotel liquor licensees
shall not sell alcoholic or malt beverages for consumption off the premises owned or leased by the licensee, except pursuant to a catering permit. The dispensing of alcoholic or malt beverages licensed to be sold hereunder shall be controlled by W.S. 12
‑
5
‑
201 and
,
if a catering permit has been issued
,
by W.S. 12
‑
4
‑
502(b).

12
‑
4
‑
405.

Annual fee.

The annual fee for a resort liquor license
and a resort hotel liquor license
shall be not less than five hundred dollars ($500.00) nor more than three thousand dollars ($3,000.00).

12
‑
4
‑
414.

Winery permits; authorized; conditions; satellite winery permits; direct shipment of wine; fees; off
‑
premises permits.

(b)

The local licensing authority:

(iv)

Shall assess a fee of not less than three hundred dollars ($300.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) payable annually in advance for each winery permit. When dual ownership of a winery permit and a liquor license exists
,
no additional fee shall be assessed other than the retail, restaurant, bar and grill
, resort hotel
or resort license fee.

12
‑
4
‑
415.

Microbrewery permits; authorized; conditions; fees.

(b)

The local licensing authority:

(iv)

Shall assess a fee of not less than three hundred dollars ($300.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) payable annually in advance for each microbrewery permit. When dual ownership of a microbrewery permit and a liquor license exists
,
no additional fee shall be assessed other than the retail, restaurant, bar and grill
, resort hotel
or resort license fee.

12
‑
5
‑
201.

Location, regulation and restrictions as to place of sale; inspections.

(f)

A holder of a
resort hotel liquor license, a
resort retail liquor license, a golf club that holds a retail liquor license, a restaurant liquor license or a club limited retail liquor license or a holder of a retail liquor license or restaurant liquor license operating on a guest ranch may dispense alcoholic beverages from any location within the boundaries of the licensee's premises.
Any holder of a resort hotel liquor license may sell an unopened bottle of liquor or wine to a registered guest not less than twenty
‑
one (21) years of age for consumption on the holder's premises.
The premises shall be a single property within a contiguous boundary upon which the licensee is located and which shall be identified in the license. Any location on the premises where alcoholic beverages are dispensed as approved by the licensing authority shall comply with applicable sanitation and fire hazard requirements and other applicable laws.

The licensing authority shall, as often as necessary, inspect the licensed location where alcoholic beverages are dispensed to ensure that the licensee is in compliance with sanitation and fire hazard requirements.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2025
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1