Title 57, Intoxicating Liquors

There is appropriated from state license and permit fees a sum sufficient for the salaries, cost, expenses, operation and enforcement of this chapter, subject to an allotment by the commissioner of finance and administration, with the approval of the governor, but in no event sha…

If the referendum election provisions of this chapter, or any part thereof, as contained in § 57-3-106 or elsewhere, be held unconstitutional, or invalid, void, or ineffective, for any reason, in whole or in part, this chapter must fail as such provisions shall not be severable, …

To be eligible for a professional license or permit under this chapter, a person must be a United States citizen, a qualified alien, as defined in § 4-58-102, or have a valid J-1 or F-1 student visa, as verified by the alcoholic beverage commission.

(1) The alcoholic beverage commission may issue, under this chapter, the following classes of licenses, in relation to alcoholic spirituous beverages exclusively, which shall consist of the following classes only:(1) Manufacturer's or distiller's or rectifier's license;(2) Liquor…

(a) A manufacturer's or distiller's license may be issued, as hereinafter provided, for the manufacturing of alcoholic spirituous beverages or vintage alcoholic beverages. Any person, firm, or corporation desiring to manufacture for commercial purposes any alcoholic spirituous be…

(a) Any person, or general or limited partnership desiring to sell at wholesale any alcoholic spirituous beverage shall make application to the commission for a license so to do, which application shall be in writing and verified, on the forms herein authorized to be prescribed a…

(a) For the retail sale of alcoholic spirituous beverages, including beer and malt beverages, as in this chapter defined, a license may be issued as herein provided. Any person, firm, or corporation desiring to sell alcoholic spirituous beverages, including beer and malt beverage…

(a) No license entitling the holder thereof to sell or deal in alcoholic spirituous beverages at retail shall be granted with respect to premises not situated within either a municipality as defined in § 57-3-101 or within a civil district of a county, which district shall have a…

It is made the duty of the commission to collect all license fees paid or due the state on account of each license issued to a wholesale or retail dealer in alcoholic spirituous beverages, or in respect to the continuance of any of such licenses. The commission shall deposit coll…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Grape and Wine Law.” This section shall prevail over any conflicting statutory provision. (b) A winery license may be issued as provided in this section for the manufacture of wine, and as described in subsection (u), throu…

(a) As a condition precedent to the issuance of a license under § 57-3-204, every applicant for a license under that section shall submit with the application to the commission a certificate signed by the county mayor or chair of the county commission in which the licensed premis…

(a) For purposes of this section:(1) “Alcoholic beverage collector” means an individual who collects commemorative bottles containing alcoholic beverages, wine or distilled spirits, where the individual displays the collection in a location available to the public, either by appo…

(a) The license fee for every license issued under this chapter shall be payable by the person making application for such license and to whom it is issued, and no other person shall pay for any license issued under such sections. In addition to all other penalties provided in th…

Any person granted a license to carry on any of the businesses or undertakings contemplated by this chapter shall, before being qualified to do business, display and post, and keep displayed and posted, in the most conspicuous place on the premises, such license, and shall prompt…

(a) The holder of a license may not sell, assign or transfer such license to any other person, and such license shall be good and valid only for the twelve (12) months after the same was issued. (b) Licensees who are serving in the military forces of the United States in time of …

(a) Each license shall expire twelve (12) months following the date of its issuance. The commission is authorized to issue renewal licenses for all qualified persons licensed as of July 1, 1981 for a period of time greater than three (3) months but less than a year so as to distr…

(a) Whenever, under this chapter, the commission is authorized to revoke a license or permit issued by it, except in those cases where revocation is mandatory, it may, if, in its discretion, it feels that revocation of the license or permit is too drastic a penalty, suspend the l…

(a) Where a license is revoked, no new license shall be issued to permit the sale of alcoholic beverages on the same premises until after the expiration of one (1) year from the date such revocation becomes final and effective. (b) If the premises are owned by a person, firm or c…

The possession of any federal license to sell alcoholic beverages defined in § 57-3-101, without the corresponding requisite state license, shall in all cases be prima facie evidence that the holder of such federal license is selling alcoholic beverages in violation of the terms …

(a) Any person, firm or corporation that holds a federal basic permit pursuant to the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (27 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.), and is in the business of manufacturing, bottling or rectifying wine may apply to the commission for a winery direct shipper's licen…

(a) A winemaking on premises facility license may be issued as provided in this section for a business, located in a jurisdiction where the establishment of a winery is permitted pursuant to § 57-3-207, where individual customers who are twenty-one (21) years of age or older may …

If, a smaller city located in a county having a population in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census, retained its charter when the metropolitan form of government was adopted in such county; If, such city …

(a) Any individual who has been stationed outside the United States while serving as a member of the armed forces of the United States or a member of a reserve or Tennessee national guard unit may apply to the commission for a one-time license allowing such individual to ship any…

(a) There is created a manager's permit to be issued by the commission to any individual who will be in actual control of the alcohol, wine or beer operations of a retailer licensed under § 57-3-204, or a retail food store wine licensee. (b) An individual seeking a manager's perm…

(a) In order to renew a retail license, the licensee must maintain a minimum of sixty-five percent (65%) of the licensee's total sales from alcoholic beverages, including wine and beer, such percentage to be calculated on an annual basis. The licensee shall keep sales and purchas…

Notwithstanding any other provision in this title or any rule to the contrary, an individual or corporation may hold a retail license issued pursuant to § 57-3-204 and may also hold a license to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on premises pursuant to chapter 4 of this ti…

(a) (1) There is created a delivery service license to be issued by the commission to any delivery service that delivers or facilitates delivery of prepared food from restaurants or items from a retail store to customers as part of the delivery service's business and seeks to del…

(a) Beginning July 1, 2018, each delivery service licensed under § 57-3-224 shall be required to annually file a report stating the number of delivery drivers used by the delivery service to deliver alcoholic beverages, beer, or both, in the twelve (12) months preceding the date …

(1) Notwithstanding § 57-3-204(c) or any other law to the contrary, a retailer licensed pursuant to § 57-3-204 that is selling the licensed establishment to a new licensee of the same license type or that is closing the licensed establishment may sell or transfer its alcoholic be…

(a) Beginning January 1, 2023, there is created a common carrier license to be issued by the commission to a person, firm, or corporation that transports goods for a fee, and maintains a regularly established schedule of service within this state to transport wine from a person l…

(a) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, a winery licensed under § 57-3-207 and a manufacturer licensed under § 57-3-202 operating on overlapping premises may designate an area of the entities' respective premises that overlap each other for purposes of offering product t…

(a) As used in this section “brand” means:(1) Each and every distilled spirits, wine product, beer with an alcoholic content of five percent (5%) by weight or greater high alcohol content beer product bearing a distinct brand name or trade name as defined or used by the United St…

(a) There is levied upon the sale or distribution by sale or gift a tax of one dollar and twenty-one cents ($1.21) on each gallon of wine, and a like or proportional rate per gallon on wine sold or distributed in any other container of more or less than one gallon (1 gal.); provi…

(a) Any wholesaler who imports alcoholic beverages into this state, or who receives alcoholic beverages manufactured in the state, for the purpose of resale in any retail container for eventual retail sale or distribution by sale or gift in this state, shall pay the tax imposed i…

(a) No alcoholic beverages in retail containers shall be sold for eventual retail sale or distribution by gift or retail sale in the state unless the taxes imposed under this part are paid. No retail outlet or unlicensed individual shall purchase or have in its possession any alc…

The tax imposed in §§ 57-3-302 and 57-3-303 is a state tax, for the benefit of the state and the counties thereof as hereinafter provided, and no county, municipality or taxing district shall have the power to levy a like tax.

(a) Any county in this state where a distillery is located shall receive four cents (4¢) per liter of the tax imposed by § 57-3-302(b) collected on all sales in this state of the spirits manufactured by such distillery. (b) (1) Except for the distribution as provided in subsectio…

(a) Any wholesaler who shall import alcoholic beverages into this state, or receive alcoholic beverages manufactured in the state for the purpose of use, resale or distribution by gift or retail sale in this state, shall be required to account for the distribution of all such alc…

The taxes imposed on high alcohol content beer shall be as provided in § 57-3-302(a) or § 57-3-303(l), whichever is applicable.

(a) (1) It is an offense for any person, firm or corporation, other than a common carrier or entity licensed under this title, to transport, either in person or through an agent, employee or independent contractor, untaxed alcoholic beverages or wine as defined in § 57-3-101 with…

(a) It is unlawful, except as permitted in this chapter, for any person to import or transport, or cause to be imported or transported from any other state, territory, or country, into this state, any alcoholic beverages defined in § 57-3-101. This subsection (a) shall not apply …

(a) The transportation of alcoholic beverages as defined in § 57-3-101, within, into, through, or from this state in quantities in excess of five gallons (5 gals.) is permitted only in conformity with this section or as otherwise permitted in this chapter:(1) Before any person sh…

(a) It is unlawful for any person in this state to buy any alcoholic beverages herein defined from any person, who, to the knowledge of the buyer, does not hold the appropriate license under the laws of this state authorizing the sale of such beverages to the buyer. (b) No retail…

It is unlawful for any representative, employee, or agent of any distiller, rectifier or manufacturer, to solicit business from anyone in this state except those holding a wholesaler's license to do business in this state.

(a) (1) (A) Except for retailers licensed under § 57-3-204, no person, corporation or other entity shall, directly or indirectly, operate any licensed retail establishment selling alcoholic spirituous beverages, not including wine, for off-premises consumption in this state.(B) “…

Any action brought against the commission as such shall be brought in the circuit court of Davidson County.