(a) A coliseum permit shall allow the retail sale of alcoholic liquor in any portion of the coliseum, including the coliseum club, to be consumed on the premises of the coliseum during a sporting event, concert, exhibition, trade show, entertainment presentation or similar function. Alcoholic liquor sold and consumed at sporting events within the arena of the coliseum and at concession stands within the coliseum at sporting events shall only be sold and consumed in paper, plastic or aluminum containers. No coliseum permittee, backer, employee or agent of such permittee shall sell, offer or deliver more than two drinks of alcoholic liquor at any one time to any person for such person's own consumption. A coliseum permit shall allow the retail sale of alcoholic liquor in the arena of the coliseum, provided sales of alcoholic liquor shall not occur at the coliseum within one hour of the scheduled closing of such coliseum. The annual fee for a coliseum permit shall be two thousand two hundred fifty dollars.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, neither the permittee nor the backer of a coliseum permit need be a proprietor if the coliseum for which such permit is being applied for is owned by a municipality or a municipal authority. The Department of Consumer Protection shall have discretionary powers to waive requirements where physical conditions make compliance an impossibility.
(c) “Coliseum” means a structure constructed to seat not less than two thousand people, and any related facility which is a part of, adjacent to or connected therewith, which structure is used for sporting events, exhibitions, trade shows, entertainment presentations, conventions, banquets, meetings, dances or fund-raising functions or similar functions or a structure such as a soccer stadium or a minor league baseball stadium built around an athletic field, constructed to seat not less than four thousand people and any related facility which is part of, adjacent to or connected therewith, which structure is used for sporting events, exhibitions, trade shows, entertainment presentations, conventions, banquets, meetings, dances or fund-raising functions or similar functions. “Arena” means all that portion of a coliseum containing a floor area enclosed by permanent seating. “Coliseum club” means an enclosed facility within a coliseum kept, used and maintained as a place where alcoholic liquor or food is served for sale at retail for consumption on the coliseum premises but which does not necessarily serve hot meals and need not have a kitchen or dining room but shall have employed therein at all times an adequate number of employees who shall serve only the following categories of people: (1) Persons who are in the coliseum to attend an event or function; and (2) persons who are in the coliseum club to attend a private party or banquet.
(d) For purposes of compliance with this section “coliseum” shall include a facility designed, constructed and used for corporate and private parties, sporting events, concerts, exhibitions, trade shows, entertainment presentations, conventions, banquets, meetings, dances, fund-raising events and similar functions, located on a tract of land not less than twenty acres containing an enclosed roofed pavilion constructed to seat not less than two hundred fifty persons, where hot meals are regularly served in an adequate and sanitary dining area, such meals having been prepared in an adequate and sanitary kitchen on the premises, and employing an adequate number of employees who shall serve only persons who are at such outing facility to attend an event, function, private party or banquet.
(P.A. 73-533, S. 2, 9; P.A. 75-641, S. 9; P.A. 77-614, S. 165, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 80, 85, 136; P.A. 80-482, S. 4, 170, 191, 345, 348; P.A. 93-139, S. 32; P.A. 95-161, S. 4, 9; 95-195, S. 37, 83; 95-336, S. 3, 5; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(d); P.A. 04-169, S. 17; 04-189, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 350; P.A. 16-117, S. 3; P.A. 19-24, S. 20.)
History: P.A. 75-641 deleted reference to “subdivision (15)” of Sec. 30-1 in Subsec. (c); P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced liquor control commission with division of liquor control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 made division of liquor control an independent department and abolished the department of business regulation, overriding provision of same act which would have placed the division within the public safety department; P.A. 93-139 made technical changes, added the annual fees for a coliseum permit and a coliseum concession permit and added the definitions of “coliseum”, “arena” and “coliseum club” as Subsec. (d); P.A. 95-161 amended Subsec. (a) to prohibit the sale of beer at a coliseum within one hour of the scheduled end of a function, amended Subsec. (b) to prohibit the sale of beer at a coliseum concession stand within one hour of the scheduled end of a function and amended Subsec. (d) to include a minor league stadium in the definition of “coliseum”, effective June 27, 1995; P.A. 95-195 amended Subsec. (c) to substitute Department of Consumer Protection for Department of Liquor Control, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-336 authorized sales of alcoholic liquor within one hour of the scheduled end of a function at a coliseum where previously such sales were prohibited, effective July 6, 1995; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 and P.A. 04-169 replaced Department of Consumer Protection with Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 increased fee in Subsec. (a) from $2,000 to $2,250, increased fee in Subsec. (b) from $1,000 to $1,250 and made technical changes; P.A. 16-117 amended Subsec. (b) by adding references to plastic or aluminum containers, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 19-24 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision re exception for retail sale of alcoholic liquor in arena of coliseum, deleting provision re public restaurant located on premises, adding provisions re containers for alcoholic liquor sold at sporting events and 2 drink maximum per person, deleting “during a convention, banquet, meeting, dance, fund-raising function or similar function”, replacing provision re sales of alcoholic liquor to occur at coliseum within 1 hour of scheduled end of function with provision re sale of alcoholic liquor not to occur at coliseum within 1 hour of scheduled closing of coliseum, deleted Subsec. (b) re coliseum concession permit, redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as new Subsec. (b) and amended same by deleting reference to coliseum concession permit, redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as new Subsec. (c) and amended same by redefining “coliseum”, and added new Subsec. (d) re meaning of “coliseum”, effective June 5, 2019.