This bill amends South Dakota's liquor licensing laws, specifically addressing renewal fee requirements for on-sale liquor licensees whose business premises have been annexed into a first-class municipality. The bill modifies Section 35-4-2 to clarify that the renewal fee for on-sale licenses may not exceed fifteen hundred dollars, except as provided in Section 35-4-13. Additionally, it amends Section 35-4-13 to allow licensees to continue operating until their license expires after annexation and ensures that their renewal application cannot be denied based on the number of existing licenses exceeding the permitted limits.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that for the first renewal of an on-sale license after annexation into a first-class municipality, the governing body may set the renewal fee equal to the most recent on-sale liquor license fee issued by that municipality. However, this increased fee cannot be imposed on licensees who initially paid a fee that was at least equal to the municipality's current fee for an on-sale license. For any subsequent renewals, the fee must not exceed the fifteen hundred dollar cap established in the earlier amendment.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 01/29/2025: 35-4-2, 35-4-13
Senate Local Government Engrossed, 02/07/2025: 35-4-2, 35-4-13