Sec. 525.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the following license fees shall be paid at the time of filing applications or as otherwise provided in this act and are subject to allocation under section 543:
(a) Manufacturers of spirits, not including makers, blenders, and rectifiers of wines containing 21% or less alcohol by volume, $1,000.00.
(b) Manufacturers of beer, $50.00 per 1,000 barrels, or fraction of a barrel, production annually with a maximum fee of $1,000.00, and in addition $50.00 for each motor vehicle used in delivery to retail licensees. A fee increase does not apply to a manufacturer of less than 15,000 barrels production per year.
(c) Outstate seller of beer, delivering or selling beer in this state, $1,000.00.
(d) Wine makers, blenders, and rectifiers of wine, including makers, blenders, and rectifiers of wines containing 21% or less alcohol by volume, $100.00. The small wine maker license fee is $25.00.
(e) Outstate seller of wine, delivering or selling wine in this state, $300.00.
(f) Outstate seller of mixed spirit drink, delivering or selling mixed spirit drink in this state, $300.00.
(g) Dining cars or other railroad or Pullman cars selling alcoholic liquor, $100.00 per train.
(h) Wholesale vendors other than manufacturers of beer, $300.00 for the first motor vehicle used in delivery to retail licensees and $50.00 for each additional motor vehicle used in delivery to retail licensees.
(i) Watercraft, licensed to carry passengers, selling alcoholic liquor, a minimum fee of $100.00 and a maximum fee of $500.00 per year computed on the basis of $1.00 per person per passenger capacity.
(j) Specially designated merchants, for selling beer or wine for consumption off the premises only but not at wholesale, $100.00 for each location regardless of whether the location is part of a system or chain of merchandising.
(k) Specially designated distributors licensed by the commission to distribute spirits and mixed spirit drink in the original package for the commission for consumption off the premises, $150.00 per year, and an additional fee of $3.00 for each $1,000.00 or major fraction of that amount in excess of $25,000.00 of the total retail value of merchandise purchased under each license from the commission during the previous calendar year.
(l) Hotels of class A selling beer and wine, a minimum fee of $250.00 and $1.00 for each bedroom in excess of 20, but not more than $500.00 total.
(m) Hotels of class B selling beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits, a minimum fee of $600.00 and $3.00 for each bedroom in excess of 20. If a hotel of class B sells beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits in more than 1 public bar, a fee of $350.00 shall be paid for each additional public bar, other than a bedroom.
(n) Taverns, selling beer and wine, $250.00.
(o) Class C license selling beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits, $600.00. Subject to section 518(2), if a class C licensee sells beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits in more than 1 bar, a fee of $350.00 shall be paid for each additional bar. In municipally owned or supported facilities in which nonprofit organizations operate concession stands, a fee of $100.00 shall be paid for each additional bar.
(p) Clubs selling beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits, $300.00 for clubs having 150 or fewer accredited members and $1.00 for each member in excess of 150. Clubs shall submit a list of members by a sworn affidavit 30 days before the closing of the license year. The sworn affidavit shall be used only for determining the license fees to be paid under this subdivision. This subdivision does not prevent the commission from checking a membership list and making its own determination from the list or otherwise. The list of members and additional members is not required of a club paying the maximum fee. The maximum fee shall not exceed $750.00 for any 1 club.
(q) Warehousers, to be fixed by the commission with a minimum fee for each warehouse of $50.00.
(r) Special licenses, a fee of $50.00 per day, except that the fee for that license or permit issued to any bona fide nonprofit association, duly organized and in continuous existence for 1 year before the filing of its application, is $25.00. Not more than 12 special licenses may be granted to any organization, including an auxiliary of the organization, in a calendar year.
(s) Airlines licensed to carry passengers in this state that sell, offer for sale, provide, or transport alcoholic liquor, $600.00.
(t) Brandy manufacturer, $100.00.
(u) Mixed spirit drink manufacturer, $100.00.
(v) Brewpub, $100.00.
(w) Class G-1, $1,000.00.
(x) Class G-2, $500.00.
(y) Motorsports event license, the amount as described and determined under section 518(2).
(z) Small distiller, $100.00.
(aa) Wine auction license, $50,000.00.
(bb) Nonpublic continuing care retirement center license, $600.00.
(cc) Conditional license approved under subsection (6) and issued under subsection (7), $300.00.
(2) The fees provided in this act for the various types of licenses shall not be prorated for a portion of the effective period of the license. Notwithstanding subsection (1), the initial license fee for any licenses issued under section 531(3) or (4) is $20,000.00. The renewal license fee shall be the amount described in subsection (1). However, the commission shall not impose the $20,000.00 initial license fee for applicants whose license eligibility was already approved on July 20, 2005.
(3) If the commission requires an applicant to submit fingerprints, the applicant shall have the fingerprints taken by a local law enforcement agency, the department of state police, or any other person qualified to take fingerprints as determined by the department of state police. The applicant shall submit the fingerprints and the appropriate state and federal fees, which shall be borne by the applicant, to the department of state police and the federal bureau of investigation for a criminal history check. After conducting the criminal history check, the department of state police shall provide the commission with a report of the criminal history check. The report shall contain criminal history record information concerning the person who is the subject of the criminal history check that is maintained by the department of state police. If a criminal arrest fingerprint card is subsequently submitted to the department of state police and matches against a fingerprint that was submitted pursuant to this act and stored in its automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) database, the department of state police shall notify the commission.
(4) Except in the case of any resort or resort economic development license issued under section 531(2), (3), (4), or (5) or a license issued under section 521a, the commission shall issue an initial or renewal license not later than 90 days after the applicant files a completed application. The application is considered to be received the date the application is received by any agency or department of this state. If the commission determines that an application is incomplete, the commission shall notify the applicant in writing, or make the information electronically available, within 30 days after receipt of the incomplete application, describing the deficiency and requesting the additional information. The determination of the completeness of an application is not an approval of the application for the license and does not confer eligibility upon an applicant determined otherwise ineligible for issuance of a license. The 90-day period is tolled for the following periods under any of the following circumstances:
(a) If notice is sent by the commission of a deficiency in the application, until the date all of the requested information is received by the commission.
(b) For the time required to complete actions required by a person, other than the applicant or the commission, including, but not limited to, completion of construction or renovation of the licensed premises; mandated inspections by the commission or by any state, local, or federal agency; approval by the legislative body of a local unit of government; criminal history or criminal record checks; financial or court record checks; or other actions mandated by this act or rule or as otherwise mandated by law or local ordinance.
(5) If the commission fails to issue or deny a license within the time required by this section, the commission shall return the license fee and shall reduce the license fee for the applicant's next renewal application, if any, by 15%. The failure to issue a license within the time required under this section does not allow the commission to otherwise delay the processing of the application, and that application, upon completion, shall be placed in sequence with other completed applications received at that same time. The commission shall not discriminate against an applicant in the processing of the application based upon the fact that the license fee was refunded or discounted under this subsection.
(6) If, in addition to a completed application under this section, an applicant submits a separate form requesting a conditional license with an acceptable proof of financial responsibility form under section 803, and an executed property document, the commission shall, after considering the arrest and conviction records or previous violation history in the management, operation, or ownership of a licensed business, approve or deny a conditional license. A conditional license issued under subsection (7) for the transfer of an existing license at the same location shall include any existing permits and approvals held in connection with that license. The following applicants may request a conditional license:
(a) An applicant seeking to transfer ownership of or interest in an existing license at the same location to sell alcoholic liquor for consumption on or off the premises.
(b) An applicant seeking an initial license other than a specially designated distributor license or a license for the sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption on the premises.
(7) The commission shall issue a conditional license to applicants approved under subsection (6) within 20 business days after receipt of a completed application and a completed conditional license request form and documentation for a conditional license at a single location. The commission may take up to 30 business days to issue conditional licenses to approved applicants seeking conditional licenses at multiple locations.
(8) A conditional license approved under subsection (6) and issued under subsection (7) is nontransferable and nonrenewable. A conditional license approved under subsection (6) and issued under subsection (7) expires when the commission issues an order of denial of the license application that serves as the basis for the conditional license after all administrative remedies before the commission have been exhausted, expires 20 business days after the commission issues an order of approval of the license application that serves as the basis for the conditional license, expires when the licensee or conditional licensee notifies the commission in writing that the initial application should be canceled, or expires 1 year after the date the conditional license was issued, whichever occurs first. If a conditionally approved licensee fails to maintain acceptable proof of its financial responsibility, the commission shall, after due notice and proper hearing, suspend the conditional license until the licensee files an acceptable proof of financial responsibility form under section 803. If a conditional license is revoked, the conditional licensee shall not recover from a unit of local government any compensation for property, future income, or future economic loss due to the revocation.
(9) Upon issuing a conditional license under subsection (7), the commission shall, until the conditional license expires under subsection (8), place an existing license under subsection (4) in escrow in compliance with R 436.1107 of the Michigan administrative code. If the conditional license expires because a transfer of an existing license was denied or because the license was not transferred within the 1-year period, an existing licensee may do 1 of the following:
(a) Request that the commission release the license from escrow.
(b) Keep the license in escrow. The escrow date for compliance with R 436.1107 of the Michigan administrative code shall be the date the conditional license expires.
(10) The chair of the commission shall submit a report by December 1 of each year to the standing committees and appropriations subcommittees of the senate and house of representatives concerned with liquor license issues. The chair of the commission shall include all of the following information in the report concerning the preceding fiscal year:
(a) The number of initial and renewal applications the commission received and completed within the 90-day time period described in subsection (4).
(b) The number of applications denied.
(c) The number of applicants not issued a license within the 90-day time period and the amount of money returned to licensees under subsection (5).
(11) As used in this section, "completed application" means an application complete on its face and submitted with any applicable licensing fees as well as any other information, records, approval, security, or similar item required by law or rule from a local unit of government, a federal agency, or a private entity but not from another department or agency of the state of Michigan.
History: 1998, Act 58, Imd. Eff. Apr. 14, 1998 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 76, Imd. Eff. Mar. 15, 2002 ;-- Am. 2004, Act 266, Imd. Eff. July 23, 2004 ;-- Am. 2005, Act 97, Imd. Eff. July 20, 2005 ;-- Am. 2005, Act 166, Imd. Eff. Oct. 6, 2005 ;-- Am. 2006, Act 539, Imd. Eff. Dec. 29, 2006 ;-- Am. 2008, Act 218, Imd. Eff. July 16, 2008 ;-- Am. 2010, Act 175, Imd. Eff. Sept. 30, 2010 ;-- Am. 2010, Act 213, Imd. Eff. Nov. 17, 2010 ;-- Am. 2010, Act 279, Imd. Eff. Dec. 16, 2010 ;-- Am. 2013, Act 236, Eff. May 22, 2014 ;-- Am. 2014, Act 353, Imd. Eff. Oct. 17, 2014
Constitutionality: In Granholm v Heald, 544 US 460 (2005), the United States Supreme Court held that Michigan laws regulating direct shipment of alcohol to in-state consumers discriminated against interstate commerce in violation of clause 3 of section 8 of article 1 of the United States Constitution, and that the powers granted to states under the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution do not authorize violation of other constitutional provisions.
Last modified: October 10, 2016