WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The coronavirus pandemic has prompted a policy change to Kansas liquor laws. The change allows restaurants and bars to sell bottles of beer and wine curbside.

Debbi Beavers, the director of the Kansas Alcoholic and Beverage Control, says she has been hearing from people in the industry who are concerned about how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.

With that in mind, she has issued a policy change that will allow curbside sales to customers subject to existing provisions in the Kansas Liquor Control Act (K.S.A. 41-101) and the Kansas Club and Drinking Establishment Act (K.S.A. 41-2601) for the duration of policy only.

The director cited K.S.A 41-210(b) to exercise “broad discretionary powers to govern the traffic in alcoholic liquors and to enforce strictly all the provisions of this act in the interest of sanitation, purity of products, truthful representation and honest dealings in such manner as generally will promote the public health and welfare.”

Policy guidelines:

A licensee may make “curbside” sales to customers, subject to all existing provisions of the Kansas Liquor Control Act (K.S.A. 41-101) and the Kansas Club and Drinking Establishment Act (K.S.A. 41-2601 et seq.) For the duration of the policy only, the payment and physical delivery of the alcoholic liquor may occur on or off of the licensed premises, subject to additional guidelines described below. This means the sales to underage individuals, sales below cost, and similar provisions are still strictly prohibited. Licensees shall remain restricted to those types of sales specifically authorized by their license. Drinking establishments and class A clubs, class B clubs may sell bottles of beer or wine curbside, in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 41-2653. For the duration of this policy only, beer or wine sold in this fashion needs to be opened on the licensed premises and properly sealed, but does not need to be partially consumed on the licensed premises. To accommodate these curbside sales, the licensee shall designate specific ” to go” parking stales or similar locations, which must all be located within a 50-foot radius of the entrance to their licensed premises. Sales of any kind (i.e. payment or delivery of alcoholic liquor) occurring outside of this 50-foot radius are strictly prohibited. This policy shall only apply to the following license types: retail liquor store, drinking establishment, class A, class B club, farm winery, microbrewery, microdistillery and producer.

Hello I have very good alcohol-related news to share with you, my dear friends #ksleg pic.twitter.com/y44ayDsBHS — Rui Xu (@RuiXuKS) March 19, 2020

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