0100-03-.13
Conduct Of Business - Wholesaler And Retailer
Cite as Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0100-03-.13
(1)
All Licensees Must Keep Records Available Three (3) Years. Each licensee shall keep, for at
least three (3) years, all purchase orders, invoices, and all other records of all purchases and
sales of alcoholic beverages made by such licensee. All such orders, invoices, and all other
books and records pertaining to the licensee’s operation shall be open for inspection to any
authorized representative of the Alcoholic Beverage Commission or Department of Revenue
during business hours and failure to make such available shall be deemed cause for
revocation of his license. For the purposes of this paragraph, electronic records are sufficient
if they are readily available and easily accessible.
(2)
Business Management Restricted. Every licensed wholesale or retail business shall be
managed by the holder of the license, if an individual, or by a partner or corporate officer, in
the event that the business is operated by a partnership or corporation. In every case where
alcoholic beverages at wholesale or retail are sold by a partnership or corporation, the
managing partner or corporation officer in active control and management of the business
shall be designated to the Commission.
(3)
Hours Licensees May Remain Open. Wholesalers and Retailers may remain open for
business between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. by the time zone and system in
effect in the city where the store is located.
(4)
Storage Limited to Ground Floor of Licensed Premises. No wholesaler or retailer shall store
alcoholic beverages at any place other than the ground floor constituting his licensed
premises without written permission of the Commission.
(5)
No Wholesaler May Store for Retailer. No wholesaler shall store alcoholic beverages for a
retail dealer without written approval of the Commission.
(6)
No Retailer May Store for Another Retailer. No retailer shall store alcoholic beverages
belonging to another retail licensee.
(7)
A retailer shall not sell alcoholic beverages to an individual whom the retailer should
reasonably believe is reselling such alcoholic beverages not permitted by law.
(8)
Contests Involving Alcoholic Beverages Prohibited. No manufacturer, wholesaler, non-
resident seller, non-manufacturer non-resident seller, retailer, or representative or employee
thereof may:
(a)
Sponsor or conduct a contest in which alcoholic beverages are offered as prizes,
premiums, or rewards;
LOCAL OPTION LIQUOR RULES
CHAPTER 0100-03
(b)
Offer as a prize, premium, or reward any alcoholic beverages; or
(c)
Directly or indirectly aid or assist in the promotion of a contest involving alcoholic
beverages which is conducted or sponsored by any person not a licensee.
(d)
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a manufacturer, wholesaler, non-resident seller, non-
manufacturer non-resident seller, or retailer may sponsor or conduct a contest in which
alcoholic beverages are offered as prizes, premiums, or rewards for their own
employees.
(9)
Gift Certificates. Tennessee-licensed retailers may sell gift certificates or gift cards to
consumers. No gift card shall be honored, accepted, or sold to anyone visibly intoxicated. No
gift card shall be honored or accepted from anyone under the age of twenty-one (21) for the
purchase of alcoholic beverages or beer. Such practices will be deemed to be a violation.
(10) Refusal of Cooperation. Any licensee who refuses to open or disclose records to, or furnish
information to, or who furnishes false and/or misleading information to an agent of the
Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission upon any matter relating to or arising out of the
conduct of the licensed premises shall subject the license to revocation or suspension.
(11) Open Access to Licensed Premises Without Warrant. Immediate access, without a warrant,
to all parts of a licensed premise shall at all times be accorded agents or representatives of
the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
(12) Licensee Responsible for Law and Order on Licensed Premises. Each licensee will maintain
the licensed establishment in a decent, orderly, and respectable manner and in full
compliance with federal statutes, Tennessee laws, Commission rules and regulations, and
local ordinances and laws in the municipality and/or county where licensed premises are
located. Licensees remain responsible for complying with this rule if the licensed owner or
operator rents, leases, or otherwise permits another to occupy the licensed premises.
(13) Not withstanding any provisions herein, a retailer may accept a tentative order for alcoholic
beverages from consumers by telephone, e-mail, facsimile transmission, or other electronic
means, provided, however, the retailer maintains a record, written or electronic, of the items
tentatively ordered for a period of thirty (30) days following the actual purchase of the items.
(14) A retail package store may sell or deliver alcoholic beverages or supply, deliver, and install
products authorized to be sold by the retailer pursuant to T.C.A. § 57-3-406(j).
(15) Any government-issued document that has expired shall not be deemed to be “valid” for
purposes of T.C.A. § 57-3-406(d), and as such, a retailer may not sell alcoholic beverages to
a person who has not provided an unexpired government-issued document that meets the
requirements of T.C.A. § 57-3-406(d).
(16) A retailer, whose primary purpose for existing is to sell alcoholic beverages, is restricted from
operating on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter.