Similar to other residents in the state, University of Utah students are invested in Utah’s liquor laws. During the last state legislative session, the state’s liquor statutes underwent numerous changes. The measures made some laws less harsh while increasing the strictness of others.
The biggest change in Utah liquor laws revolved around the “Zion Curtain.” The Zion Curtain has been a long-standing staple of Utah’s alcohol rules. The policy mandates there be a wall, separate room, glass partition or other barrier that keeps the mixing of alcoholic drinks from being visible to the public. The goal of the policy was to conceal the “glamour” of drinking from children, as it was believed to encourage underage drinking. A new law declares that bars can now be within view of the general public as long as they create a child-free buffer zone around the mixing area.
This past spring, drinking establishment owners were allowed to throw out their glass partitions. Many claimed that the absence of the curtains would cause their alcohol sales to rise significantly, as they felt few people want to drink at a restaurant where they are staring at clouded glass rather than a bartender.
Other new legislation includes:
Signage. People may have recently noticed that every Utah dining or drinking establishment has a sign at the front either declaring: “This premise is licensed as a bar” or “This premise is licensed as a restaurant.” All dining or drinking establishments must now display a sign openly declaring whether its primary focus is food or alcohol.
Pricing. The state slightly raised prices on wine, liquor and beer with higher alcohol content. It also elevated the state markup on alcoholic beverages by two percentage points. Liquor and wine went up to 88 percent and beer went up to 66.5 percent.
DUI ankle monitors. Arrested drunk drivers usually face a minimum 120-day suspension of their license. Weber County is the test subject for a new course of punishment in which the subject will participate in a 24/7 sobriety program that could shorten or eliminate their sentence. Those convicted of a DUI will need to wear an anklet that tests them twice per day for alcohol in their system. It is designed to rehabilitate drinkers without causing them to lose their jobs or be otherwise negatively affected due to being unable to drive. Should the case study in Weber County succeed, it will be applied to the rest of the state.
Timing. Establishments can now start serving alcoholic drinks beginning at 10:30 a.m. on weekends.
Stricter classifications for drunk driving. Taking effect Dec. 30, 2018, the blood alcohol content level will be lowered from 0.08 to 0.05. The lower threshold makes Utah’s drunk driving laws the toughest in the country.