Two Wisconsin wedding venues sued the state Tuesday to block a new law that would require them to obtain liquor licenses like other establishments hosting events.
Wedding barn owners and operators unsuccessfully tried last year to overturn a law that would overhaul regulations for the state’s multibillion-dollar liquor industry. The change was years in the making, with support from both Republicans and Democrats, brewers large and small, wholesalers and retailers.
Farmview Event Barn in Berlin and Monarch Valley Wedding & Events in Brea filed suit against the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Revenue Patty Meyers declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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The new law affects all levels of the state’s alcohol industry, governing the licensing, production, sale and distribution of beer, wine and liquor. This includes new requirements for rural establishments, often located on farms that host wedding receptions and other events, rather than traditional bars, restaurants or entertainment venues.
The new law will require such venues to legally sell alcohol or obtain a license from 2026. Currently, wedding barns and other private event venues do not require a liquor license to operate, and many contract with licensed vendors to serve alcohol. At the event.
FILE – Cases of beer are stacked next to each other at a liquor store in Milwaukee, Nov. 8, 2018. Two Wisconsin wedding venues sued the state on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, seeking to block a new law requiring them to sell beer. To obtain a liquor license like any other establishment hosting an event. (AP Photo/Ivan Moreno, File)
Under the law, wedding barn owners can either obtain a permit that allows them to host up to six events a year, or once a month, or obtain a liquor license that allows them to sell as much alcohol as they like at events. can do. .
The lawsuit, filed in Tremperloo County Circuit Court, alleges that the law violates the equal protection guarantee and right to earn a living under the Wisconsin Constitution by imposing illegal and uneven taxes. There is.
The lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty alleges that “the impact of the new regulatory framework is to inhibit competitive innovation in the wedding venue industry, although this may not be the intent.” “The government has no authority whatsoever to engage in nepotism.”
Neither of the wedding venues that filed the lawsuit have a liquor license. They also do not sell or serve alcohol, but both allow those renting the facility and their guests to bring in and drink alcohol on the premises.
Operators of bars, restaurants and other event venues have long argued that this will give wedding venues a competitive edge.
The lawsuit also claims the law allows arbitrary and meaningless exemptions that violate the Constitution. Exempt properties include properties owned by municipalities, schools, churches, clubs, and venues located in professional stadium districts, such as the parking lots around Lambeau Field in Green Bay and American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Daniel Gallagher, owner of Monarch Valley Weddings & Events, said he would go out of business if he was required to be a liquor retailer in a dry zone.
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Gene Byrne, owner of Farmview Events Barn, said hosting weddings “allows us to pay for upgrades to the house and farm equipment to keep the farm open. This law is a special interest in Madison. “It was designed by a group to limit competition, which is not the case.” right. “
