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Kenosha officials, venue owners weigh local effects of Wisconsin "Act 73" on event-space alcohol rules
Summary
City staff and police briefed the Licenses and Permits Committee on Act 73, which broadens what counts as a public event space; venue owners said the law’s Jan. 1 effective date has left booked events in limbo and asked the city to consider increasing beer-license quotas.
Kenosha city staff, police and venue operators discussed implementation challenges from Wisconsin’s Act 73 during the Licenses and Permits Committee meeting on April 13.
A police representative who helped craft an informational flyer told the committee the law expands the definition of public event spaces and shifts obligations to owners and operators: if alcohol is consumed in a public space held out to the public or offered for rent, the venue may require a sale-event permit or an appropriate retail license. The city attorney confirmed the change affects both the sale and the presence of alcohol at events and advised the owner or person in charge of a public place not to permit consumption unless an appropriate license or permit is in place.
Venue owners and agents said Act 73 took effect Jan. 1 and many small event spaces learned about the change late; one operator said bookings scheduled after the law took effect were now imperiled because the city had few beer licenses available and a venue without a license cannot lawfully permit alcohol on site. Several operators urged the committee to explore increasing the number of local beer licenses to allow small venues to become compliant without losing revenue.
The mayor said the administration supports exploring quota changes and recommended the city attorney begin discussions on options. Police described outreach and education efforts rather than immediate enforcement; the city attorney reiterated that enforcement could occur under current statutes but that staff would pursue education first. The committee voted to receive and file the Act 73 discussion and directed city staff and the attorney to examine quota and licensing options and report back.
Committee members asked staff about how the law applies to multi-tenant spaces such as union halls and Airbnb-type rentals; staff and the city attorney warned that whether a space is "held out" to the public is fact-specific and could trigger licensing obligations even for infrequent events. The clerk noted limits on available beer licenses (local quota) and the committee asked the city attorney to begin the process to explore increasing that quota.
Next steps: city staff will engage with venue operators, advise on temporary compliance options (such as the state’s no-sale event permit where applicable), and evaluate ordinance changes needed to raise the local quota of beer licenses.
