HB 445 Summary

• Establishes "local entertainment districts" in municipal corporations with populations under 100,000 and counties with populations over 125,000, which are bounded areas containing entertainment, retail, educational, sporting, cultural, or arts establishments.

• Permits issuance of D-1, D-2, and D-5 liquor permits within local entertainment districts to food service operators without normal population quota restrictions, limited to one permit per five acres and maximum ten permits per district.

• Creates the T-1 permit allowing colleges/universities with under 15,000 FTE students and professional sports teams to permit guests to bring beer and intoxicating liquor into enclosed, secured areas on their property for consumption.

• Requires property owners to submit applications to municipal mayors or county commissioners with detailed maps, establishment descriptions, and zoning compliance documentation; applications must be approved within 75 days based on community benefit criteria.

• Adds language to open container laws allowing possession of opened containers at T-1 permit premises and convention facilities when authorized by permit holders.