Bill Would Tighten Rules for Inoperative lIquor Licenses

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — The Wyoming State Liquor Association believes a proposal to change the rules governing inoperative liquor licenses could help quiet the rancor about a population-based cap on the licenses.

None of the bills before the Legislature directly alter the population-based cap, but there is a bill to stop license owners from "parking" their licenses by forcing them to be used within two years of acquisition.

Currently, licenses can remain inoperative for up to three years, but the three-year window can be renewed by using the license for three months and taking in $2,500 worth of sales. Liquor association director Mike Moser says that means licenses can effectively be parked for decades.

Moser says about 10 to 15 percent of licenses in Casper and Cheyenne are inoperative.