(a) Issuance of decision. After considering any written arguments or evidence presented by the certificate holder or the holder's representative, the appropriate TTB officer must issue a final decision. If the decision is to revoke the certificate of label approval, certificate of exemption from label approval, or distinctive liquor bottle approval, a letter must be issued explaining the basis for the revocation, and the specific laws or regulations relied upon in determining that the label or bottle was not in conformance with law or regulations. If the decision is to withdraw the proposed revocation, a letter explaining the decision must be sent.

(b) Time limits for decision. Within 90 days of receipt of an appeal, the appropriate TTB officer must notify the holder whether the appeal has been granted or denied. If a certificate holder requests an informal conference as part of an appeal, as authorized in § 13.71, the 90-day period will begin 10 days after the date of the conference to allow for consideration of any written arguments, facts or evidence submitted after the conference. The appropriate TTB officer may extend this period of time once by an additional 90 days if he or she finds that unusual circumstances require additional time to consider the issues presented by an appeal. If the appropriate TTB officer extends the period, he or she must notify the holder by letter, briefly explaining the issues presented by the label. The final decision after appeal will be the final decision of TTB.