Title 57, Intoxicating Liquors

(a) The commission is hereby authorized to appoint a director to serve at the pleasure of the commission. The director's salary shall be fixed by the commission with the approval of the appropriate state officials as now required by law. The office of the director shall be at Nas…

(a) The director shall act and serve as hearing officer when designated by the commission and shall perform such duties as hearing officer as now authorized under this chapter. (b) In any action or suit brought against the members of the commission in their official capacity in a…

(1) The commission is hereby authorized to appoint a chief law enforcement officer who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The chief law enforcement officer shall:(1) Be under the immediate supervision of the director;(2) Be at least thirty (30) years of age;(3) Have b…

(a) No person shall be eligible to be appointed as a member of the commission, and no person shall be employed in any capacity by the commission, if such person shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, either direct or indirect, in any distillery, wholesale dealer or reta…

(a) No member of the commission and no person employed by the commission shall accept any gift, favor, merchandise, donation, contribution, or any article or thing of value, from any person, firm or corporation licensed under this chapter. (b) No such person shall conspire with a…

When any distillery, wholesaler or retailer licensed under this chapter, or any person employed by any such distillery, wholesaler or retailer, violates, conspires with any other person to violate, or attempts to violate § 57-1-109, it is the mandatory duty of the commission to r…

The director, the chief law enforcement officer and all other law enforcement personnel shall be employed only on a full-time basis.

As used in §§ 57-1-110, 57-3-406(b) and (g) and 57-3-204(c), “licensed retailer”, “retailer” or “retail licensee” shall be construed to include and apply to retail food stores which have been issued a retail food store wine license.

(a) The entire provisions, definitions and terms of chapter 3, parts 1, 2 and 4 of this title, § 57-3-304 and the authority contained therein are hereby transferred and shall be vested under the jurisdiction of the alcoholic beverage commission as though all of such sections were…

The duties, authority, powers and functions as contained and enumerated in § 57-9-115 and chapter 9, part 2 of this title are hereby transferred and vested in the commission as though the same were set out and copied verbatim herein, for the purpose of carrying out this chapter.

Certain duties, powers and functions authorized under chapter 6, part 2 of this title are hereby transferred and vested in the alcoholic beverage commission as though the same were set out and copied verbatim herein, for the purpose of carrying out this chapter, except those duti…

(a) The department of revenue shall continue to collect the tax as levied and imposed under § 57-6-201, and the required monthly reports thereunder shall continue to be made to the department. (b) All such tax collected by the department shall be deposited in the treasury of the …

The alcoholic beverage tax levied and authorized to be collected under §§ 57-3-302 and 57-3-303 shall continue to be collected by the commissioner of revenue in the same manner as now prescribed by law.

(a) Beginning in 2025, the commission shall submit to the members of the general assembly, by February 15 of each odd-numbered year, a biennial report to prevent underage drinking, drunk driving, and other harmful uses of alcohol. (b) The report must include, but is not limited t…

(a) The commissioner of revenue shall make a written report monthly to the alcoholic beverage commission showing the name of each licensed dealer who is delinquent in the payment or remittance of any tax owing to this state, and such report shall show the kind and amount of such …

(a) The commission is hereby authorized to adopt and promulgate the present rules and regulations which are in existence pertaining to alcoholic beverages, and the commission may in its discretion alter, amend or repeal any of such parts of such rules and regulations as it deems …

In addition to the other duties imposed under this title, the commission is authorized to investigate and to arrest any person whom the arresting officer has probable cause to believe is committing or attempting to commit any crime occurring on premises licensed under this title …

(a) Each licensee which sells alcoholic beverages at retail not for consumption on the premises and each licensee which sells alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises shall post, in a prominent place easily seen by its customers, a warning sign supplied by the alcoholi…

Any agent of the alcoholic beverage commission who retires after twenty-five (25) years of honorable service shall be issued by the commission a retired commission card, which shall identify the agent, the agent’s department and rank, and the fact that the agent is retired. Cards…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the alcoholic beverage commission may assess the actual and reasonable costs of any hearing held in accordance with the contested case provisions of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, part …

(a) (1) In any county other than those included in §§ [former] 57-4-202(d) [repealed] and [former] 57-5-108(p) [repealed], if the alcoholic beverage commission suspends or revokes a license to sell alcoholic beverages on the premises at any establishment for any violation or viol…

(a) “Intoxicating liquors” or “intoxicating drinks,” as defined in this chapter, means and includes alcohol, spirits, liquors, wines and every liquid or solid, patented or not, containing alcohol, spirits, liquor or wine, and capable of being consumed by human beings; but nothing…

(a) The county legislative body of any county shall have the right and power, and such county authorities shall have the duty, to call and direct the county election commission to hold an election at any time, upon the filing and presentation of a petition bearing the genuine sig…

A manufacturer licensed pursuant to § 57-3-202, or the authorized agent of such licensee, may possess, store, or transport the products of the manufacturing plant within, over, and across the state; provided, that any alcoholic beverages or wine produced at a plant located within…

(a) Except as otherwise provided by law, nothing in this chapter shall be construed as licensing or legalizing the sale of intoxicating liquors and/or other intoxicating drinks within the state by any distillery or manufacturing plant authorized under this chapter. (b) Nothing in…

(a) An intoxicating liquor may not be advertised, described, labeled, named, sold or referred to for marketing or sales purposes as “Tennessee Whiskey,” “Tennessee Whisky,” “Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey,” or “Tennessee Sour Mash Whisky” unless the intoxicating liquor is:(1) Manufa…

The hours of sale for a manufacturer licensed to sell products at retail under § 57-3-204(e) shall be the same as for a manufacturer licensed to sell products at retail under § 57-3-202.

(a) Beginning July 1, 2016, an intoxicating liquor may not be advertised, described, labeled, named, sold, or referred to for marketing or sales purposes as “Tennessee Moonshine” unless the intoxicating liquor is distilled in Tennessee. (b) Any manufacturer who violates this sect…

Any city with a population of no less than five thousand eight hundred seventy (5,870) and no greater than five thousand eight hundred seventy-nine (5,879), according to the 2010 federal census or any subsequent federal census may adopt an ordinance to prohibit the construction o…

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Intoxicating Liquor Sales Law.”

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Basic cost of intoxicating liquor” means the invoice cost of intoxicating liquor to the retailer in the quantity last purchased from the wholesaler at prices generally available in the marketplace, absent any ca…

(a) It is a Class C misdemeanor for any retailer to advertise, offer to sell, or sell at retail, intoxicating liquor at less than cost to the retailer. (b) The advertising, sale, or offer to sell of intoxicating liquor by any retailer at less than cost to the retailer shall be pr…

Any individual who, as a director, officer, partner, member, or agent of any person violating this part, assists or aids, directly or indirectly, in such violation, equally with the person for whom such individual acts, commits a Class C misdemeanor.

Any contract, express or implied, made by any person, firm, or corporation in violation of this part is declared to be an illegal and void contract and no recovery thereon shall be had.

(a) (1) Any person or entity injured by any violation of this part, or any trade association which is representative of such a person or entity, may maintain an action in any court of equitable jurisdiction to prevent, restrain, or enjoin such violation.(2) If, in such action, a …

(a) The commission shall administer and enforce this part. (b) (1) For an initial violation of or noncompliance with any provision of this part by a retailer, a penalty shall be imposed not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).(2) For any second violation of or noncompliance w…

(1) This part shall not apply to sales at retail made where intoxicating liquors are:(1) Sold upon the complete final liquidation of a business;(2) Advertised, offered for sale, or sold by any fiduciary or other officer acting under the order or direction of any court;(3) Closeou…

(a) As used in this title, unless the context requires otherwise:(1) (A) “Alcoholic beverage” or “beverage” means and includes alcohol, spirits, liquor, wine, high alcohol content beer, and every liquid containing alcohol, spirits, wine, and high alcohol content beer and capable …

(a) It is lawful to manufacture, store, sell, distribute and purchase alcoholic beverages or wine subject to proper licensing, payment of taxes, compliance with the limitation, regulations and conditions provided in this chapter, in counties or municipalities of this state that b…

(a) (1) Nothing in this chapter shall affect chapter 2 of this title.(2) Alcoholic beverages lawfully manufactured pursuant to chapter 2 of this title may be lawfully sold in Tennessee by a manufacturer to a wholesaler duly licensed, in those counties or municipalities which favo…

(a) The commission shall have the authority, by and with the consent of the governor, to employ such attorneys, inspectors, agents, officers and clerical assistance as may be necessary for the effective administration and enforcement of this chapter. The compensation of such pers…

No member of the commission and no person employed by the commission shall have any interest, direct or indirect, either proprietary or by means of any loan, mortgage or lien, or in any other manner, in or on any premises where alcoholic beverages are sold; nor shall they or any …

(a) (1) Except as provided in subsection (g), the voters of any county may, by local option election, permit the manufacture, receipt, sale, storage, transportation, distribution and possession of alcoholic beverages, within the territorial limits of such county, by a majority vo…

(a) In the several counties, or portions thereof, and in the several municipalities wherein separate local option election may be held under the provisions hereof, in which no local option election is held, or, if held, a majority of votes cast therein are against local option, t…

(a) Whenever any civil district of any county of the state shall by virtue of § 57-3-205 meet the requisites for the licensing of retail liquor stores to be located within such district the secretary of state, state treasurer and comptroller of the treasury, or a majority of them…

When any common carrier transporting alcoholic beverages to a point within this state, or any insurance company insuring such alcoholic beverages, comes into possession of such alcoholic beverages by virtue of the same being damaged or otherwise unaccepted by the consignee of suc…