The Town of Silverthorne follows the Colorado Revised Statutes for Special Event Permits found in C.R.S. Title 44, Art. 5

44-5-101. Special licenses authorized. The local licensing authority, as defined in articles 3 and 4 of this title 44, may issue a special event permit for the sale, by the drink only, of fermented malt beverages, as defined in section 44-4-103, or the sale, by the drink only, of malt, spirituous, or vinous liquors, as defined in section 44-3-103, to organizations and political candidates qualifying under this article 5, subject to the applicable provisions of article 3 and 4 of this title 44 and to the limitations imposed by this article 5.

Application form

Applications and Fees by Event Type

• Malt, Vinous & Spirituous Event: $100.00 per day to the Town of Silverthorne
• Beer: $100.00 per day to the Town of Silverthorne 

Special Event Liquor Permits are approved internally.

Organization’s Qualifications for Special Event Permit

• Organizations that are incorporated under the laws of this state for nonprofit purposes, including but not limited to, for social, fraternal, patriotic, political, educational, or athletic purposes, and not for pecuniary gain.
• Local governmental entities, including special districts.
• Any non-profit or charitable organization that is incorporated or registered with the Colorado Secretary of State.
• A regularly chartered branch, lodge, or chapter of a national organization or society organized for such purposes and being non-profit in nature.
• A regularly established religious or philanthropic institution.
• A state institution of higher education, to include each principal campus of such institution.
• Any political candidate who has filed the necessary reports and statements with the secretary of state pursuant to article 45 of title 1, C.R.S. political as used in article 48 of title 12, shall mean any political organization as defined in section 1-1-104, C.R.S. However, no permit shall be required for those individuals or candidates campaigning or running for public office and who sponsor fund raising activities when such activities are held in a private residence and there is no cash bar in operation.

It is strongly recommended that anyone considering applying for a Special Events permit read the Colorado Statutes prior to applying.

SPECIAL EVENT PERMITS – State Statute  C.R.S. Title 44, Art. 5       

Resource Guide for Alcohol Beverage Service 

The Colorado Liquor Code establishes the mechanism to allow legal sale or service of alcoholic beverages to the public. The laws are written such that any situation that is not specified as permitted is deemed to be not permitted. Citizens can easily see situations where liquor is permitted, such as businesses that hold regular liquor licenses. Other situations are not as clear. This document is intended to be a guide in assisting those who do not regularly hold a liquor license but may be able to serve alcohol under certain circumstances.

This document is in no way intended to substitute for qualified legal advice.  Please consult your attorney.

What

A Special Event Permit authorizes the sale of alcohol beverages by the drink to the public and/or consumption of alcohol in a public place. There are two types of Special Event Permits:

• Malt, vinous, and spirituous liquor,
• Beer, both by the drink in open containers.

The Statutory reference is found in C.R.S. 44-5-101.  

Who

 Those who qualify for Special Event Permits may or may not currently have a liquor license (i.e., Club or Art Licensees) and must be one of the following: 

• Organizations that are nonprofit or charitable and have been incorporated pursuant to Colorado law for purposes of a social, fraternal, patriotic, educational, political, or athletic nature.

• A regularly chartered branch, lodge or chapter of a national organization or society organized for such purposes, which is non-profit.
• An organization which is a regularly established religious or philanthropic institution.
• A political candidate who has filed the necessary reports with the Colorado Secretary of State or local election official.
• A municipality owning arts facilities at which productions of an artistic or cultural nature are held. 
• Local Government entities, including special districts.

Where

A special event may be conducted on the licensed premises of a Club, Arts, Campus Complex or Limited Winery liquor licensed establishment, or other non-licensed locations.  

How

 The applicant must submit the following documents to the Town Clerk’s office at least 45 days prior to the event. Link to application.

• The appropriate document proving eligibility to conduct an event, usually a Certificate of Good Standing from the CO Secretary of States website will suffice.
• A property rental agreement, lease or letter of possession, which provides that the location may be used for event purposes being held by the applying entity.
• An outlined diagram of the proposed area, specifying dimensions and the method which will be used to control access.
• A completed Special Event application, including both state and local forms (if applicable).
• Appropriate fees.
• List of TIPs trained and certified servers working the event.

When

The event must be held on the date, time, and location specified in the application and may not be changed. Fifteen event days are allowed per calendar year and may be held separately or in any combination. If an event is canceled, the application fees and the day(s) are forfeited. Sales may occur between the hours of 5 a.m. and midnight of the day specified for a beer permit; and between the hours of 7 a.m., of the day specified, and 2 a.m. of the following day for malt, vinous and spirituous permits. 

The Special Event Permit and an appropriate Minor Warning Sign must be conspicuously displayed during the event. Sandwiches or other food snacks shall be available during the hours of alcohol sale and service. 

Events Exempt from Special Events Permit Requirements

There are situations where alcoholic beverages may be served without holding a Special Events Permit. To qualify, all the following criteria must be met:

• The host entity must qualify to hold a Special Events Permit. Criteria are listed in the Special Events Permit section of this document. The host should be prepared to provide documentation to prove eligibility upon request by any law enforcement official.
• Attendance to the event must be limited to members of the host entity and its guests only. Any host should know, in advance of the event, individual persons who are invited to attend. Most host entities will have regular membership lists. Some hosts, such as a political candidate, may not have such a list. Regardless of the source, invitations to the event must be pre-determined and available in writing if requested by law enforcement officials. The number of guests must be reasonable and may not be unlimited. Please see the Private Party section below for more discussion on qualifications for invited guests.
• The event must be on private property not accessible by the public. There must not be a liquor license on this property. Areas normally open to the public, such as parks or city facilities, may qualify as private through an appropriate legal document (such as a Special Use Permit) giving the sponsor exclusive use of the area for the duration of the event. Adequate control must be demonstrated to ensure access only to those eligible to attend. Please consider that civil liability may exist even when alcohol is served in a legal manner.
• Alcohol must be served free of charge. If there is an admission charge to the event, it must be the same for all entrants, whether alcohol is consumed or not.

Private Parties

Private parties are just that…. private. The Liquor Code only specifies how alcoholic beverages may be sold or served to the public. Therefore, there is no statutory reference for a private party.  

So just what is a private party? Think of a dinner party in your home. You decide who to invite for a specified event and you provide food and alcohol at no charge. A large event may be a private party, but it still will have the same components as a party in your home.  

Consider the following when deciding if your event will be a private party:

• Is the event open to the public? The answer must be no. An event is clearly public if it is advertised in any public venue, such as newspaper, Facebook, radio, television, or flyers/posters in public places. It also qualifies as public if a person not on the original guest list can acquire an invitation through purchase of a membership, ticket, or any other item that gains them admission to the event.
• Your guest list must contain names of specific individuals and be limited in number. While this number may be large, you as a host are still required to know the names on the list, and to ensure that only those invited attend the event.
• If a person who is not on the invited guest list contacts you and asks to be invited and you agree, then the event has just become open to the public.
• Your invitations may be directed to a particular individual only, an individual plus a guest, or an individual plus specified guests. An example would be a company holiday party, where employees and their families are invited. You as a host have an expectation of how many guests an employee may bring.
• You may not charge for alcohol in any way. This includes accepting donations or charging for admission.
• The host cannot provide glassware, mixers, or a location for a recurring event.

Catered Events

Liquor licenses are only operational at the location of the permanent business. A caterer may not sell or serve alcohol in any way outside their regular licensed location. As host, you may have other options by way of a Special Events Permit or private party.

For More Information

As always, your attorney is your best source of guidance to ensure that your event follows the law. For information regarding the liquor license process, please contact the Silverthorne Town Clerk’s Office by email or phone at 970-262-7307.  

Liquor licenses are valid for one year from the date of the approval by the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division and must be renewed each year.

Approximately 90 days prior to the expiration date of the license, you should receive a renewal application from the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division.

Completed Renewal applications must be submitted no later than 45 days before the license expires to the Town Clerk's Office for processing. Do not send your renewal to the State.

Include in your renewal submission:

• A list of current employees and their alcohol education verification numbers (TIPS #)
• Two checks - one for the State of Colorado and one for the Town of Silverthorne
• State of Colorado renewal form 

The State of Colorado and Town of Silverthorne generally prohibit the public consumption of  alcohol. This is pursuant to C.R.S. 12-47-901 (1) (h) and Chapter 16, Article VI., Sec. 16-127 of the Wheat Ridge Code of Ordinances.

The exemption for this prohibition is within a licensed premises of a business holding a liquor license issued by the State of Colorado and/or the Town of Silverthorne. This includes Special Event Permits held by non-profit or charitable organizations, beer and wine, brewpubs, and hotel and restaurant license types.

Examples of Private vs. Public consumption of alcohol:

• It is considered a public event if the general public may attend and if notification of the event is made through social, online or other media types.
• It would be considered private if invitations were sent out to a select group and no one other than those invited are allowed to attend the event. If another person not on the invitation list is allowed to enter, then it becomes a public event. Think of this as having a private gathering at your home or place of employment after it closes regular business hours.

Examples of unlawfully selling alcohol:

• Accepting anything of value in exchange for alcohol is considered a sale. Selling a hamburger and providing alcohol beverages (free beer) with that hamburger, is considered a sale. Soliciting or accepting a donation in exchange for alcohol is considered a sale.
• A catering or bartending service that charges a corkage fee or associated fee with a volume of alcohol, a fee increase associated with the consumption of alcohol or a fee to deliver alcohol that is purchased by a private party are all considered a sale of alcohol.
• C.R.S. 12-4-103 (34) including any of the following: “exchange, barter, trafficking, keep or expose for sale; to deliver for value or in any way other than gratuitously, peddle, possess with intent to sale...directly or indirectly.”
  

Example of not selling alcohol – private event:

• A private party buys alcohol for a private event from a lawful source and provides it gratuitously to the event attendees. As long as those attendees do no exchange anything in value or are not charged, directly or indirectly, for the alcohol. Indirectly would be; the purchase of a cup to drink the alcohol, a cover charge or a “donation.”

{Ref. LED Bulletin 18-05} {Colo. Liquor Code Art. 47, Title 12, C.R.S.}