UNITED STATES 1 Jul 2009 New law liberalizes drinking alcohol in mainly dry Utah

From Jul 1 Utah residents and visitors will be able to enjoy drinking alcohol in a public bar, a pleasure taken for granted in the other 49 states. Since 1969 drinking patrons in Utah have been required to be members of a so-called "private club," an arrangement legislated by Mormon state lawmakers and backed by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The LDS church tells its members to abstain from alcohol. The new law also tears down the so-called "Zion Curtain."

The 213-page bill was hammered out in negotiations between the office of Governor Jon Huntsman, the legislature, restaurant and bar owners and LDS representatives. The governor signed it on Mar 30. The dramatic change in policy is expected to help the state on its way to becoming a convention and tourist mecca. The state's skiing areas and several national parks already attract millions of visitors each year. The hospitality industry's thinking is that many millions more will come when the state's quirky drinking laws have gone away for good.

From May 12, existing restaurants will be able to scrap the "Zion Curtain," the partition that keeps restaurant servers from passing a drink across the bar. New restaurants, on the other hand, will have to comply with approved floor plans that remove the mixing of drinks from the view of those under age 21. Bars will be required to scan the driver license of any patron who appears to be under 35 years old.

And under the new law, state liquor stores will be open on election days. From 1 Jul 2010, the liability limit for bars that serve drinks to intoxicated patrons involved in accidents will increase to as much as US $2 million -- the highest in the nation.

Salt Lake City forbids having more than two bars in a square block, and there is a push to alter that law. Such a move would open the door for Salt Lake to have a downtown with clustered clubs like Lower Downtown in Denver. Apr/09

RELATED READING:

They'll drink to that: Utah eases liquor laws (Denver Post 1 Apr 2009)
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12041506

Huntsman signs landmark liquor bill (Salt Lake Tribune 30 Mar 2009)
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_12031524