Alaska's 24 recreational site liquor licenses will expire in 2027 and 2028, state says

The state Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office has told holders of recreational site liquor licenses, from the Anchorage Glacier Pilots to the Fairbanks Junior Ice Dogs, that their licenses will expire at the end of 2027 or 2028. To keep selling alcohol, each holder must apply to convert to a different license type, according to an Oct. 30 memo from Program Coordinator Jane P. Sawyer.

The change comes from a 2022 state law known as the Title 4 Rewrite, which overhauled Alaska's alcohol laws. The law eliminated recreational site licenses and set a grace period for holders to convert to a sporting activity or event license or to another license type that applies. A state performance report says the rewrite took effect Jan. 1, 2024, and cut the number of alcohol license types from 26 to 23.

Each conversion application must follow the normal course of a new license application, the memo says. AMCO's alcohol license application page says new licenses involve the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, local government and other state agencies, and tells applicants to plan for four to six months.

Nine licenses expire Dec. 31, 2027: Anchorage Glacier Pilots, Mitchell Raceway, Home Run Concessions, Blue Line Pub and Cafe, Liarsville, Dimond Bowl, Arctic Valley Ski Area, Alaska Airlines Center and Riverside Eats & Drinks. "We recommend licensees listed below file a complete application for processing no later than May 2027," Sawyer wrote.

Fifteen more expire Dec. 31, 2028: Capitol Speedway, Anchorage Bucs, Mat-Su Miners, Gold Creek Salmon Bake, Alaska Raceway Park, Fairbanks Junior Ice Dogs, Alaska Travel Adventures, Denali Arts Council, The Summit, Kenai River Brown Bears, PINZ, Hilltop Ski Area, Trail Breaker Kennel, Skeetawk and Frosted Axe Throwing. The memo tells those holders to plan accordingly.

The memo says it will be sent to each licensee by email and regular mail. AMCO Director Kevin Richard attached it to his report to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which is scheduled to meet Tuesday in Anchorage.