2026 VENUE REQUIREMENTS
Wisconsin Law Changes That Effect Venues 1/1/2026
​DEADLINE TO AVOID POSSIBLE $10K IN LICENSE FEES IS 3/2/2026
**Options to stay compliant below**
Wisconsin Act 73 Downloadable Common Questions
Liquor License Requirements for Venues
2023 Wisconsin Act 73 states that public places and event venues that allow the consumption of alcohol beverage must:
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obtain a retail alcohol beverage license(s) from the municipality where your venue is located, or
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do not serve or allow consumption of alcohol beverages at events, thereby avoiding the need for a DOR permit or local license.
In 2026, the definition of public place will be expanded to the language below.
(1) Public place. (a) No owner, lessee, or person in charge of a public place may permit the consumption of alcohol beverages on the property of the public place, unless the person has an appropriate retail license or permit or a no-sale event venue permit.
(b) For purposes of par. (a), a public place includes a venue, location, open space, room, or establishment that is any of the following:
1. Accessible and available to the public to rent for an event or social gathering.
2. Held out for rent to the public for an event or social gathering.
3. Made available for rent to a member of the public for an event or social gathering.
This definition is not specific to "barns" or establish any definition for barn venues. Event venues other than barns would be subject to these law changes.
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**This excludes government, town, city, and village owned venues and spaces
**This excludes private residences and homes
Options To Stay Compliant
Option #1
Obtain a Liquor License
If you want to keep your venue operating without the risk of bookings dropping. You can obtain a liquor license. ​
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The first step will be to go to your local city, village, or municipality and apply for a liquor license. Established venues will get exceptions if there are no available licenses. New venues may be required to pay up to $10,000 for a new license if there is not a current one available.
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Once you've obtained a liquor license you will need to get in contact with distributors to begin placing orders. This is a tedious process as many of your booked clients may have requests for certain beverages and there are many distributors that carry different items.
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You'll also need to have a bartending staff. We recommend having 4-5 bartenders, 1-2 bar backs/bussers on payroll for the different weekend events for every 20 events you host.
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Ensuring you have a bar, you'll also need to make sure you have a way to collect payment if you choose to allow a cash bar and a valid liquor liability insurance policy. This involves sourcing a POS system and credit processing including internet.
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Once you have all of the things above you'll really want to hone in on how you can keep your profits up without sacrificing the reputation of your venue. This comes down to the best deals on ice, fruit, cups (if you don't have running hot water, you'll need to use disposable plastic), and other supplies.
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This is not an exclusive list. This is a starting point. This area of service requires expertise, investment, management, and many additional details and workings to bring to completion for a first timer.
Option #2 (Client Preferred)
Partner with Tavern Team
Don't worry about all of the things above from option 1. Tavern Team will handle this for you!​
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Tavern Team will obtain the liquor license, build the dedicated staff, optimize the bar area, and keep you compliant while holding the liquor liability insurance, coordinating with clients on beverages, and ensuring your reputation stays up to par.
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Together we will agree on packages/option for venue clients.
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You'll still keep your bookings, run your venue, and have a great reputation
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Tavern Team will compensate you for use of the bar inside the venue and only operate it during approved events.
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Tavern Team will also utilize paid marketing to increase your web traffic, leads, and bookings.
Option #3
Tavern Team Consult
​Hire Tavern Team to come in and get you up and running on your own. What does this entail?​​
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Tavern Team will help you obtain the liquor license, help you find dedicated staff, train your staff to align with your goals, guide you on optimizing the bar area, work with you to find the right liquor liability insurance policy, help build you a menu so you can coordinate with clients on beverages.
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Tavern Team will meet with you once you've gotten up and running to ensure the processes put in place are working efficiently.