Wash. Admin. Code § 314-03-205 - Temporary rules for outdoor alcohol service by on-premises licensees

(1) As authorized in section 2(8), chapter 48, Laws of 2021, the temporary rules for outdoor alcohol service described in this section are effective until July 1, 2023, unless extended by law. These rules create a temporary exception to the requirements in WAC 314-03-200. These rules apply to all on-premises licensees.

(2) For ongoing outdoor alcohol service located in privately owned spaces, a licensee must request approval from the board's licensing division and meet the following requirements:

(a) The licensee must have legal authority to use the outdoor alcohol service area including, but not limited to, ownership or leasehold rights;

(b) The licensee must have a building that provides indoor dining or production in order to qualify for an outdoor alcohol service area;

(c) The outdoor alcohol service area must be (i) contiguous to the licensed business, or (ii) located on the same property or parcel of land as the licensed business;

(d) The outdoor alcohol service area must have an attendant, wait staff, or server dedicated to the area when patrons are present;

(e) Interior access to the licensed premises from the outdoor alcohol service area is not required. However, unless there is (i) interior access to the licensed premises from the outdoor alcohol service area, or (ii) an unobstructed direct line of sight from inside the licensed premises to the outdoor alcohol service area, an employee with a mandatory alcohol server training (MAST) permit under chapter 314-17 WAC must be present in the outdoor alcohol service area at all times that patrons are present, in order to monitor alcohol consumption. This requirement is in addition to the requirement in (d) of this subsection that the outdoor alcohol service area must have an attendant, wait staff, or server dedicated to the area when patrons are present;

(f) The same food service offered inside the licensed premises must also be offered in the outdoor alcohol service area;

(g) The outdoor alcohol service area must be enclosed with a permanent or movable barrier a minimum of 42 inches in height. The board may grant limited exceptions to the required 42 inch high barrier for outdoor alcohol service areas if the licensee has permanent boundaries for the outdoor alcohol service area;

(h) Openings into and out of the outdoor alcohol service area cannot exceed 10 feet. If there is more than one opening along one side, the total combined opening may not exceed 10 feet; and

(i) Licensees must comply with local building codes, local health jurisdiction requirements, department of labor and industries requirements, and any other applicable laws and rules.

(3) For ongoing outdoor alcohol service located in public spaces, a licensee must request approval from the board's licensing division and meet the following requirements:

(a) The licensed business must have a permit from their local jurisdiction allowing the business to use the public space as a service area, such as a sidewalk cafe permit or other similar outdoor area permit authorized by local regulation;

(b) The licensee must have a building that provides indoor dining or production in order to qualify for an outdoor alcohol service area;

(c)

(i) Except as provided in (c)(ii) of this subsection, the outdoor alcohol service area must be enclosed with a permanent or movable barrier a minimum of 42 inches in height. Openings into and out of the outdoor alcohol service area cannot exceed 10 feet. If there is more than one opening along one side, the total combined opening may not exceed 10 feet;

(ii) Licensees with outdoor alcohol service areas contiguous to the licensed premises may use a permanent demarcation of the designated alcohol service area for continued enforcement of the boundaries, instead of a permanent or movable barrier a minimum of 42 inches in height. If a permanent demarcation is used, the permanent demarcation must be at all boundaries of the outdoor alcohol service area, must be at least six inches in diameter, and must be placed no more than 10 feet apart;

(d) The outdoor alcohol service area must have an attendant, wait staff, or server dedicated to the area when patrons are present;

(e) The same food service offered inside the licensed premises must also be offered in the outdoor alcohol service area; and

(f) Licensees must comply with local building codes, local health jurisdiction requirements, department of labor and industries requirements, and any other applicable laws and rules.

(4) For multiple licensees to share an outdoor alcohol service area, the licensees must request approval from the board's licensing division and meet the following requirements:

(a) The licensees' property parcels or buildings must be located in direct physical proximity to one another. For the purposes of this subsection, "direct physical proximity" means that the property parcels or buildings are physically connected or touching each other along a boundary or at a point;

(b)

(i) If the shared outdoor alcohol service area is located on public space, the licensees sharing the space must meet all of the requirements in subsection (3) of this section and shared use of the outdoor service area must be authorized by the licensees' local jurisdiction permits; or

(ii) If the shared outdoor alcohol service area is located in a privately owned space, the licensees sharing the space must meet all of the requirements in subsection (2) of this section and must have legal authority to share use of the outdoor service area including, but not limited to, ownership or leasehold rights;

(c) The licensees must maintain separate storage of products and separate financial records for the shared outdoor alcohol service area. If licensees share any point of sale system, the licensees must keep complete documentation and records for the shared point of sale system showing clear separation as to what sales items and categories belong to each respective licensee;

(d) The licensees must use distinctly marked glassware or serving containers in the shared outdoor alcohol service area to identify the source of any alcohol product being consumed. The distinctive markings may be either permanent or temporary. Any temporary markings must remain on the glassware or serving containers through the duration of use by the customer;

(e) The licensees must complete an operating plan for the shared outdoor alcohol service area. The operating plan should demonstrate in general how responsibility for the outdoor alcohol service area is shared among the licensees. Licensees are required to submit the operating plan to the board's licensing division at the time of application or alteration and must keep documentation of an up-to-date plan available for inspection on premises; and

(f) Consistent with WAC 314-11-065, a licensee may not permit the removal of alcohol in an open container from the shared outdoor alcohol service area, except to reenter the licensed premises where the alcohol was purchased. Signage prohibiting the removal of alcohol in an open container must be visible to patrons in the shared outdoor alcohol service area.

(5) If multiple licensees use a shared outdoor alcohol service area as described in subsection (4) of this section, all participating licensees are jointly responsible for any violation or enforcement issues unless it can be demonstrated that the violation or enforcement issue was due to one or more licensee's specific conduct or action, in which case the violation or enforcement action applies only to those identified licensees.

(6) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(a) "Alcohol service" means service of liquor as defined in RCW 66.04.010.

(b) "Contiguous" means touching along a boundary or at a point.

(c) "Sidewalk cafe" means a designated seating area on the sidewalk, curb space, or other public space where a business provides table service and seating for their patrons during business hours.

(7) This section expires July 1, 2023, pursuant to section 2(11), chapter 48, Laws of 2021, unless extended by law.

Notes

Wash. Admin. Code § 314-03-205

Adopted by WSR 22-01-052, Filed 12/8/2021, effective 1/8/2022