Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, recognizing the continued strain of the COVID 19 pandemic on Kentucky’s food and beverage industry, recently waived license renewal fees for fourteen types of liquor licenses available in the Commonwealth.
The waiver applies to licenses issued by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The change does not require license holders to act. In the instance that a licensee has already renewed its license in 2020, the licensee will not pay the renewal fee until 2022. Alternatively, entities who have not renewed their respective licenses in 2020 will pay the renewal fee in 2021.
Although the Governor has provided the waiver at the State level, Kentucky localities may continue to impose their own unique license fees. In the Northern Kentucky area, Covington, Newport, Fort Thomas, Alexandria, Fort Wright, Boone County, and Independence have taken steps to waive their local license renewal fees. Lexington and Louisville have waived local fees.
Accordingly, it is important for entities to review whether their local governments have adopted similar waivers to determine if local fees remain in place.
Contact DBL Law for assistance with determining your specific fee obligations.
