(1) Licensees holding a beer and/or wine restaurant or a tavern license in combination with an off-premises beer and wine retailer’s license, licensees holding a spirits, beer, and wine restaurant license with an endorsement issued under RCW 66.24.400(4), and licensees holding a beer and/or wine specialty shop license with an endorsement issued under RCW 66.24.371(1) may sell malt liquor in kegs or other containers capable of holding four gallons or more of liquid. Under a special endorsement from the board, a grocery store licensee may sell malt liquor in containers no larger than five and one-half gallons. The sale of any container holding four gallons or more must comply with the provisions of this section and RCW 66.28.210 through 66.28.240.

Attorney's Note

Under the Washington Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
gross misdemeanorup to 364 daysup to $5,000
For details, see Wash. Rev. Code § 9A.20.021

Terms Used In Washington Code 66.28.200

  • Beer: means any malt beverage, flavored malt beverage, or malt liquor as these terms are defined in this chapter. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • Board: means the liquor and cannabis board, constituted under this title. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • Liquor: includes the four varieties of liquor herein defined (alcohol, spirits, wine, and beer), and all fermented, spirituous, vinous, or malt liquor, or combinations thereof, and mixed liquor, a part of which is fermented, spirituous, vinous or malt liquor, or otherwise intoxicating; and every liquid or solid or semisolid or other substance, patented or not, containing alcohol, spirits, wine, or beer, and all drinks or drinkable liquids and all preparations or mixtures capable of human consumption, and any liquid, semisolid, solid, or other substance, which contains more than one percent of alcohol by weight shall be conclusively deemed to be intoxicating. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • malt liquor: means any beverage such as beer, ale, lager beer, stout, and porter obtained by the alcoholic fermentation of an infusion or decoction of pure hops, or pure extract of hops and pure barley malt or other wholesome grain or cereal in pure water containing not more than eight percent of alcohol by weight, and not less than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • Person: means an individual, copartnership, association, or corporation. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • Restaurant: means any establishment provided with special space and accommodations where, in consideration of payment, food, without lodgings, is habitually furnished to the public, not including drug stores and soda fountains. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • sell: include exchange, barter, and traffic; and also include the selling or supplying or distributing, by any means whatsoever, of liquor, or of any liquid known or described as beer or by any name whatever commonly used to describe malt or brewed liquor or of wine, by any person to any person; and also include a sale or selling within the state to a foreign consignee or his or her agent in the state. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • Spirits: means any beverage which contains alcohol obtained by distillation, except flavored malt beverages, but including wines exceeding twenty-four percent of alcohol by volume. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • Store: means a state liquor store established under this title. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • Tavern: means any establishment with special space and accommodation for sale by the glass and for consumption on the premises, of beer, as herein defined. See Washington Code 66.04.010
  • Wine: means any alcoholic beverage obtained by fermentation of fruits (grapes, berries, apples, et cetera) or other agricultural product containing sugar, to which any saccharine substances may have been added before, during or after fermentation, and containing not more than twenty-four percent of alcohol by volume, including sweet wines fortified with wine spirits, such as port, sherry, muscatel, and angelica, not exceeding twenty-four percent of alcohol by volume and not less than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume. See Washington Code 66.04.010
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, any person who sells or offers for sale the contents of kegs or other containers containing four gallons or more of malt liquor, or leases kegs or other containers that will hold four gallons of malt liquor, to consumers who are not licensed under chapter 66.24 RCW shall do the following for any transaction involving the container:
(a) Require the purchaser of the malt liquor to sign a declaration and receipt for the keg or other container or beverage in substantially the form provided in RCW 66.28.220;
(b) Require the purchaser to provide one piece of identification pursuant to *RCW 66.16.040;
(c) Require the purchaser to sign a sworn statement, under penalty of perjury, that:
(i) The purchaser is of legal age to purchase, possess, or use malt liquor;
(ii) The purchaser will not allow any person under the age of twenty-one years to consume the beverage except as provided by RCW 66.44.270;
(iii) The purchaser will not remove, obliterate, or allow to be removed or obliterated, the identification required under RCW 66.28.220 to be affixed to the container;
(d) Require the purchaser to state the particular address where the malt liquor will be consumed, or the particular address where the keg or other container will be physically located; and
(e) Require the purchaser to maintain a copy of the declaration and receipt next to or adjacent to the keg or other container, in no event a distance greater than five feet, and visible without a physical barrier from the keg, during the time that the keg or other container is in the purchaser’s possession or control.
(3) Domestic breweries licensed under RCW 66.24.240 and microbreweries licensed under RCW 66.24.244 are not subject to this section when selling or offering for sale kegs or other containers containing four gallons or more of malt liquor of the licensee’s own production, or when selling, offering for sale, or leasing kegs or other containers that will hold four gallons or more of liquid.
(4) A violation of this section is a gross misdemeanor.

NOTES:

*Reviser’s note: RCW 66.16.040 was repealed by 2012 c 2 § 215 (Initiative Measure No. 1183).
IntentEffective date2003 c 53: See notes following RCW 2.48.180.
Effective date1998 c 126: See note following RCW 66.20.010.
Effective date1997 c 321: See note following RCW 66.24.010.
Effective dates1989 c 271: “This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately, except:
(1) Sections 502 and 504 of this act shall take effect June 1, 1989; and
(2) Sections 229 through 233, 501, 503, and 505 through 509 of this act shall take effect July 1, 1989.” [ 1989 c 271 § 607.]
Severability1989 c 271: See note following RCW 9.94A.510.