The bill proposes revisions to the regulations surrounding county all-beverages alcohol licenses in Montana. It introduces a new section that allows for the temporary reclassification of these licenses to be located within the quota area of incorporated cities or towns, provided certain conditions are met, such as a population growth of over 5% in the county from 2016 to 2021. The bill stipulates that a maximum of six licenses can be reclassified, and the process will involve competitive bidding, with a minimum bid set at 25% of the market value of the licenses. Additionally, the reclassified licenses will not be eligible for certain endorsements and will be non-transferable, reverting back to county licenses if not used for over a year.

The bill also amends existing sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) related to the transfer and competitive bidding of all-beverages licenses. It clarifies that licenses may only be transferred under specific conditions and introduces new criteria for competitive bidding processes, including provisions for reclassifying licenses from county to city quota areas. The amendments aim to streamline the licensing process while ensuring that licenses are allocated fairly and in accordance with population changes and market demand.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 16-4-204, 16-4-430