CA AB973

Amends Section 25500.1 of the Business and Professions Code to extend existing tied-house exceptions to both on-sale and off-sale licensed retailers selling beer, wine, or distilled spirits.

Allows manufacturers, winegrowers, distillers, and wholesalers to list names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and Internet web site addresses of two or more unaffiliated retailers in response to direct consumer inquiries without violating tied-house restrictions.

Establishes four conditions for the listing exception: no retail prices included, listing is only reference in the communication, does not refer to only one retailer or commonly-controlled establishments, and is made exclusively by the nonretail industry member.

Repeals Section 25502.1 of the Business and Professions Code, which previously contained similar but more limited exceptions applicable only to off-sale retailers.

Effective date: Passed by Assembly on April 30, 2015 and Senate on August 20, 2015.