Committee hears bill to expand outdoor alcohol service, authorize shared campus events at Seattle Center

The Consumer Protection & Business Committee on Jan. 29 held a public hearing on House Bill 1515, a measure that would allow cities and counties to ask the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) to approve expanded outdoor alcohol service areas and permit shared indoor and outdoor alcohol service areas on publicly owned civic campuses, with a provision focused on the Seattle Center.

The bill matters because it would change how licensed businesses can serve alcohol in public spaces and would create a pathway for city‑approved, campus‑wide event perimeters where multiple licensees share alcohol service responsibilities. Sponsors said the proposal was intended to support large events such as the FIFA World Cup fan festival and to modernize existing LCB rules.

Peter Klawfelter, staff to the committee, summarized existing LCB rules and the bill’s changes. He told the committee that the bill would let a city or county request LCB approval to permit expanded outdoor service across a jurisdiction or within designated areas, allow fence‑free demarcation and greater opening widths on sloped sites, and permit nonalcohol businesses to share outdoor service areas with licensed sellers. "The first part of House Bill 1515 would allow a city, town, or county to request in the LCB to approve expanded outdoor alcohol service for liquor licensees within the whole jurisdiction or a specific area or areas of this jurisdiction," Klawfelter…