2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 60. State Control of Alcoholic Liquors › Article 7. Licenses to Private Clubs › §60-7-8c. Special License for a Multi-Vendor Private Fair and Festival; License Fee and Application; License Subject to Provisions of Article; Exception

(a) There is hereby created a special license designated Class S3 private multivendor fair and festival license for the retail sale of liquor, wine, nonintoxicating beer, and nonintoxicating craft beer for on-premises consumption at an event where multiple vendors shall share liability and responsibility, and apply for this license. Each vendor may temporarily purchase, sell, furnish, or serve liquor, wine, nonintoxicating beer, and nonintoxicating craft beer as provided in this section.
(b) To be eligible for the license authorized by subsection (a) of this section, the private multivendor fair and festival or other event shall:
(1) Be sponsored, endorsed, or approved by the governing body or its designee of the county or municipality in which the private multivendor fair and festival or other event is located;
(2) Jointly apply to the commissioner for the special license at least 15 days prior to the private fair, festival, or other event;
(3) Pay a nonrefundable nonprorated license fee of $500 per event that may be divided among all the vendors attending the event;
(4) Be approved by the commissioner to operate the private multivendor fair, festival, or other event;
(5) Be limited to no more than 15 consecutive days;
(6) Have at least two separate and unrelated vendors applying for the license and certifying that at least 100 members will be in attendance;
(7) Freshly prepare and provide food or meals, or engage a food vendor to prepare and provide adequate freshly prepared food or meals to serve its stated members and guests who will be attending the temporary festival, fair, or other event, and provide any written documentation or agreements of the food caterer to the commissioner prior to approval of the license;
(8) Only use its employees, independent contractors, or volunteers to purchase, sell, furnish, or serve liquor, wine, nonintoxicating beer, or nonintoxicating craft beer;
(9) Provide adequate restroom facilities, whether permanent or portable, to serve the stated members and guests who will be attending the private multi-vendor festival, fair, or other event;
(10) Provide an executed agreement between the vendors and/or food caterers stating that each vendor is jointly and severally liable for any improper acts or conduct committed during the multi-vendor festival or fair event;
(11) Provide a security plan indicating all vendor points of service, entrances, and exits in order to verify members, patrons, and guests ages, and whether a member, patron, or guest is intoxicated, to provide for the public health and safety of members, patrons, and guests;
(12) Provide a floorplan for the proposed premises with one defined and bounded indoor and/or outdoor area to safely account for the ingress and egress of stated members, patrons, and guests who will be attending the festival, fair, or other event, and the floorplan that would comprise the licensed premises, which would be authorized for the lawful sales, service, and consumption of liquor, wine, nonintoxicating beer, or nonintoxicating craft beer throughout the licensed premises whether these activities were conducted in a building or structure, or outdoors while on the licensed premises and as noted on the floorplan;
(13) Meet and be subject to all other private club requirements; and
(14) Use an age verification system approved by the commissioner.
(c) Nonintoxicating beer and nonintoxicating craft beer sold, furnished, tendered, or served pursuant to the license created by this section shall be purchased from the licensed distributor that services the area in which the private multi-vendor fair and festival will be held or from a resident brewer acting in a limited capacity as a distributor, in accordance with 11-16-1
et seq
. of this code.
(d) Wine sold, furnished, tendered, or served pursuant to the license created by this section shall be purchased from a licensed distributor, winery, or farm winery in accordance with 60-8-1
et seq
. of this code.
(e) Liquor sold, furnished, tendered, or served pursuant to the license created by this section shall be purchased from a licensed retail liquor outlet in the market zone or contiguous market zone where the private multi-vendor fair or festival will be held, all in accordance with 60-3A-1
et seq
. of this code.
(f) A licensee authorized by this section may use bona fide employees, independent contractors, or volunteers to sell, furnish, tender, or serve the liquor, wine, nonintoxicating beer, or nonintoxicating craft beer;
Provided
, That the licensee shall train all employees, independent contractors, or volunteers to verify legal identification and to verify signs of intoxication.
(g) Licensed representatives of a brewer, resident brewer, beer distributor, wine distributor, wine supplier, winery, farm winery, distillery, mini-distillery, micro-distillery, and liquor brokers may attend a private multi-vendor festival or fair and discuss their respective products but may not engage in the selling, furnishing, tendering, or serving of any liquor, wine, nonintoxicating beer, or nonintoxicating craft beer.
(h) A licensee licensed under this section is subject to all other provisions of this article and the rules and orders of the commissioner:
Provided
, That the commissioner may, by rule or order, allow certain waivers or exceptions with respect to those provisions, rules, or orders as required by the circumstances of each private multi-vendor fair and festival. The commissioner may revoke or suspend immediately any license issued under this section prior to any notice or hearing, notwithstanding 60-7-13a of this code:
Provided, however
, That under no circumstances may the provisions of 60-7-12 of this code be waived or an exception granted with respect thereto.