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e-Li: Electronic Library

Permitted Location

A permit is valid only for a single location, which includes all decks, patios, and other outdoor serving areas contiguous to the location.  If an owner operates two or more restaurants or other businesses within the same building, the owner may, in the owner’s discretion, operate some or all of the businesses under the same permit.  Permits are not transferable from one location to another.  T.C.A. § 57-5-103(a).

Under this statute, a beer permit issued for a clubhouse or restaurant on a golf course does not allow the permit holder to sell beer on the golf course itself because the golf course, while it may be contiguous, does not constitute an "outdoor serving area" within the meaning of the statute.  Attorney General Opinion 01-117 (7/24/01).

A beer board could, in its discretion, issue an on-premises beer permit to a golf course, thereby allowing the sale of beer within the confines of the golf course property. Or, if a golf course clubhouse has been issued an off-premises permit, a patron could purchase beer in the clubhouse and take it onto the golf course to drink it.  Also, a beer board may issue a permit to an applicant for an outdoor event that is not contiguous to the applicant’s building.  Attorney General Opinion 08-09 (1/18/08).

Beer permit holders may sell beer online for curbside pickup at the permit holder's location.  The beer must be delivered to a vehicle located within a paved parking area adjacent to the permitted business, and the beer must be pulled from the retailer's inventory at the permitted location. The employee delivering the beer to the vehicle must confirm that the individual receiving the beer is at least twenty-one (21) years of age.  T.C.A. § 57-5-103(a).