How can our Arizona HOA get an event liquor license??

I need some creative help here. Our HOA in Arizona wants to host a holiday party and provide beer and wine to our residents. We went to apply for an event liquor license and were told that we cannot have one. The reason is that even though we are a non-profit, we are not a ‘true’ non profit because we are entirely gated and do not ‘serve the public’…just our residents. Other HOAs that are not gated can get a license.

We were told a resident cannot sponsor the party on our behalf, and even if we asked a local non-profit to host, that would also not be acceptable. We cannot make sense of this because residents can host a party in our community room and get an event license, but we cannot do so.

So, if there are any creative thinkers out there, I would really like to hear from you. We really don’t want to have a BYOB holiday party. Thanks!!

WHO is this "we were told" by???

WHY can't any resident add the event to their insurance for one night and "host" the party?

Your declaration (CC&Rs, covenants) says what kind of "non profit" your HOA is--there's more than one kind in CA and maybe in
AZ too.

Are you sure someone doesn't have "nor profit" mixed up with charity????

Here's a creative thought: talk to the HOA's insurer and let that person explain to you the realities of the current insurance market and why this is a really bad idea. And then explain to your membership why your insurance premiums are going to triple or worse next year (assuming your insurer isn't going to just dump you as too high risk).

You might also want to chat with the HOA attorney about how serving alcohol could be viewed as discriminatory since a number of religions prohibit alcohol consumption, thus raising the dreaded specter of a Fair Housing complaint. Sorting out a Fair Housing complaint can be painful and expensive.

Shall I continue...?

Eli,

I say, lets look at the regulations: Charity and Special Events from the AZ Dept of Liquor Licenses and Control.

Per that website, I would say that what you have been told is correct.

That said, if the HOA just wants to provide the alcohol for free, you might not need a license (as they won't be selling it).
Perhaps they can have it catered with the alcohol included in the price.
Call the liquor license dept and find out.

Wouldn't the caterer have a traveling liquor license?

You do know there are probably 1,000 ot more HOA’s across the US with golf course club houses selling alcohol and none of them are having fair housing complaints against them for religious discrimination.

Not following every religious prohibition is not grounds for a fair housing complaint.

Even in an Ohio, children are allowed in licensed liquor establishments. They even serve alcoholic beverages at Cracker Barrel.

Under your attorney”s logic, one couldn’t have a derby party because of gambling and the this may be inappropriate for children. And for god’s sake don’t have an HOA book club because the children under age 6 can’t read and participate.

If an owners decides the event is not appropriate is different than an HOA excluding.

rAll high rise condo HOAs around me have events that serve alcohol. I assume those who think it's bad for whatever reason don't attend. I've heard no complaints over the 20 years I've lived here.

More and more vegans live in our HOA. Our event alway offer now 1-2 nice vegan choices. A close friend of mine, however, refuses to attend any events. He doen' complain.

We have wine nights. We had a shooters night once. Sometimes people will just bring a beer when we have something going on. Our pot lucks have beer.

A condo I owned over 40 years ago used to have their meetings in a bar.

Does the Association give the wine, shooters and beer away for free?
Are the events catered?

If the answers to the above questions are no, did the Association obtain a liquor licenses (as required by AZ law)?

Yep, that is one option that, from my reading, keeps things legal.