Alaska seasonal liquor licensees must now pay the full two-year fee

The Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office will charge the full two-year license fee to seasonal liquor licensees who have been paying half. The office says it kept the half-fee practice in error after Alaska rewrote its alcohol law.

Program Coordinator Jane P. Sawyer told licensees in an Oct. 29 memo that the office failed to properly carry out the law's change on seasonal fees. The office "will immediately implement the appropriate full biennial license fee for all license types regardless of operational season," the memo said.

The former law let the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board issue a seasonal license "upon application and payment of one-half of the biennial fee." Alaska's 2022 rewrite of Title 4, most of which took effect Jan. 1, 2024, removed the fee language. The current law says only that the board may issue a seasonal license "upon application."

The office's fee schedule lists a biennial fee of $2,500 for a beverage dispensary license and $1,250 for a restaurant or eating place license.

The change comes as licensees renew. The 2027-2028 renewal period opened Nov. 1. Applications are due Dec. 31, and renewals submitted later face a $500 nonrefundable late fee. The memo does not say whether licensees who paid half fees in earlier cycles owe the difference.

Director Kevin Richard included the memo in his report to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which is scheduled to meet Tuesday in Anchorage. The report also carries a second memo tied to the rewrite, which removed recreational site licenses. Holders such as the Alaska Airlines Center and Arctic Valley Ski Area must apply to convert to a sporting activity or event license or another license type before their licenses sunset at the end of 2027 or 2028.