Virginia Code 4.1-325: Prohibited acts by mixed beverage licensees; penalty
A. In addition to § 4.1-324, no mixed beverage licensee nor any agent or employee of such licensee shall:
Attorney's Note
Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 misdemeanor | up to 12 months | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Virginia Code 4.1-325
- Alcohol: means the product known as ethyl or grain alcohol obtained by distillation of any fermented liquor, rectified either once or more often, whatever the origin, and shall include synthetic ethyl alcohol, but shall not include methyl alcohol and alcohol completely denatured in accordance with formulas approved by the government of the United States. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Alcoholic beverages: includes alcohol, spirits, wine, and beer, and any one or more of such varieties containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume, including mixed alcoholic beverages, and every liquid or solid, powder or crystal, patented or not, containing alcohol, spirits, wine, or beer and capable of being consumed by a human being. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Beer: means any alcoholic beverage obtained by the fermentation of an infusion or decoction of barley, malt, and hops or of any similar products in drinkable water and containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Board: means the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Bottle: means any vessel intended to contain liquids and having a capacity of not more than 43 ounces. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Container: means any barrel, bottle, carton, keg, vessel, or other receptacle used for holding alcoholic beverages. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
- Intoxicated: means a condition in which a person has drunk enough alcoholic beverages to observably affect his manner, disposition, speech, muscular movement, general appearance, or behavior. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Licensed: means the holding of a valid license granted by the Authority. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Licensee: means any person to whom a license has been granted by the Authority. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Sangria: means a drink consisting of red or white wine mixed with some combination of sweeteners, fruit, fruit juice, soda, or soda water that may also be mixed with brandy, triple sec, or other similar spirits. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- sell: includes soliciting or receiving an order for; keeping, offering or exposing for sale; peddling, exchanging or bartering; or delivering otherwise than gratuitously, by any means, alcoholic beverages. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Spirits: means any beverage that contains alcohol obtained by distillation mixed with drinkable water and other substances, in solution, and includes, among other things, brandy, rum, whiskey, and gin, or any one or more of the last four named ingredients, but shall not include any such liquors completely denatured in accordance with formulas approved by the United States government. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Wine: includes any wine to which wine spirits have been added, as provided in the Internal Revenue Code, to make products commonly known as "fortified wine" which do not exceed an alcohol content of 21 percent by volume. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
1. Sell or serve any alcoholic beverage other than as authorized by law;
2. Sell any authorized alcoholic beverage to any person or at any place except as authorized by law;
3. Allow at the place described in his license the consumption of alcoholic beverages in violation of this subtitle;
4. Keep at the place described in his license any alcoholic beverage other than that which he is licensed to sell;
5. Misrepresent the brand of any alcoholic beverage sold or offered for sale;
6. Keep any alcoholic beverage other than in the bottle or container in which it was purchased by him except (i) for a frozen alcoholic beverage, which may include alcoholic beverages in a frozen drink dispenser of a type approved by the Board; (ii) in the case of wine, in containers of a type approved by the Board pending automatic dispensing and sale of such wine; and (iii) as otherwise provided by Board regulation. Neither this subdivision nor any Board regulation shall prohibit any mixed beverage licensee from premixing containers of sangria, to which spirits may be added, to be served and sold for consumption on the licensed premises;
7. Refill or partly refill any bottle or container of alcoholic beverage or dilute or otherwise tamper with the contents of any bottle or container of alcoholic beverage, except as provided by Board regulation adopted pursuant to subdivision B 11 of § 4.1-111;
8. Sell or serve any brand of alcoholic beverage which is not the same as that ordered by the purchaser without first advising such purchaser of the difference;
9. Remove or obliterate any label, mark, or stamp affixed to any container of alcoholic beverages offered for sale;
10. Deliver or sell the contents of any container if the label, mark, or stamp has been removed or obliterated;
11. Allow any obscene conduct, language, literature, pictures, performance, or materials on the licensed premises;
12. Allow any striptease act on the licensed premises;
13. Allow persons connected with the licensed business to appear nude or partially nude;
14. Consume or allow the consumption by an employee of any alcoholic beverages while on duty and in a position that is involved in the selling or serving of alcoholic beverages to customers.
The provisions of this subdivision shall not prohibit any retail licensee or his designated employee from (i) consuming product samples or sample servings of (a) beer or wine provided by a representative of a licensed beer or wine wholesaler or manufacturer or (b) a distilled spirit provided by a permittee of the Board who represents a distiller, if such samples are provided in accordance with Board regulations and the retail licensee or his designated employee does not violate the provisions of subdivision A 1 f of § 4.1-225 or (ii) tasting an alcoholic beverage that has been or will be delivered to a customer for quality control purposes;
15. Deliver to a consumer an original bottle of an alcoholic beverage purchased under such license whether the closure is broken or unbroken except in accordance with § 4.1-206.3.
The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply to the delivery of:
a. “Soju.” For the purposes of this subdivision, “soju” means a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage distilled from rice, barley or sweet potatoes; or
b. Spirits, provided (i) the original container is no larger than 375 milliliters, (ii) the alcohol content is no greater than 15 percent by volume, and (iii) the contents of the container are carbonated and perishable;
16. Be intoxicated while on duty or employ an intoxicated person on the licensed premises;
17. Conceal any sale or consumption of any alcoholic beverages;
18. Fail or refuse to make samples of any alcoholic beverages available to the Board upon request or obstruct special agents of the Board in the discharge of their duties;
19. Store alcoholic beverages purchased under the license in any unauthorized place or remove any such alcoholic beverages from the premises;
20. Knowingly employ in the licensed business any person who has the general reputation as a prostitute, panderer, habitual law violator, person of ill repute, user or peddler of narcotics, or person who drinks to excess or engages in illegal gambling;
21. Keep on the licensed premises, except for the premises of a mixed beverage casino licensee, a slot machine or any prohibited gambling or gaming device, machine, or apparatus;
22. Make any gift of an alcoholic beverage, other than as a gift made (i) to a personal friend, as a matter of normal social intercourse, so long as the gift is in no way a shift or device to evade the restriction set forth in this subdivision; (ii) to a person responsible for the planning, preparation or conduct on any conference, convention, trade show or event held or to be held on the premises of the licensee, when such gift is made in the course of usual and customary business entertainment and is in no way a shift or device to evade the restriction set forth in this subdivision; (iii) pursuant to subsection C of § 4.1-209; (iv) pursuant to subdivision A 10 of § 4.1-201; (v) by a mixed beverage casino licensee to a patron of such licensee in accordance with the provisions of subdivision A 15 of § 4.1-206.3; or (vi) pursuant to any Board regulation. Any gift permitted by this subdivision shall be subject to the taxes imposed by this subtitle on sales of alcoholic beverages. The licensee shall keep complete and accurate records of gifts given in accordance with this subdivision; or
23. Establish any normal or customary pricing of its alcoholic beverages that is intended as a shift or device to evade any “happy hour” regulations adopted by the Board; however, a licensee may increase the volume of an alcoholic beverage sold to a customer if there is a commensurate increase in the normal or customary price charged for the same alcoholic beverage.
B. Any person convicted of a violation of this section is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
C. The provisions of subdivisions A 12 and A 13 shall not apply to persons operating theaters, concert halls, art centers, museums, or similar establishments that are devoted primarily to the arts or theatrical performances, when the performances that are presented are expressing matters of serious literary, artistic, scientific, or political value.
1968, c. 7, § 4-98.10; 1970, c. 120; 1974, c. 548; 1975, c. 483; 1976, cc. 750, 768; 1978, c. 69; 1979, c. 227; 1982, c. 316; 1983, c. 608; 1993, c. 866; 2000, c. 780; 2002, c. 105; 2003, c. 856; 2004, c. 913; 2006, cc. 256, 826; 2008, cc. 513, 629, 794, 875; 2009, cc. 20, 509; 2010, c. 481; 2013, c. 661; 2015, cc. 38, 404, 604, 730; 2017, c. 154; 2020, cc. 1113, 1114; 2022, cc. 589, 590; 2023, cc. 213, 214, 774.