SUBLETTE COUNTY – The Wyoming Legislature made changes to state liquor-license laws during this year’s session, which will, among other things, put a number of responsibilities under local control.

The Sublette County Board of Commissioners discussed the issue at its meeting on Tuesday, making plans to meet with municipalities to ensure everybody’s on the same page.

“One of the big changes is that state law always set the hours of operations for liquor licenses – from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.,” explained county clerk Mary Lankford, who attended a March 27 meeting in Pinedale with the Wyoming Liquor Division and liquor dealers. “That has been completely stripped out of the law, so there are no more hours of operating.”

That Legislature also put the enforcement of liquor-license laws back in local hands.

“They’re pushing enforcement back to us – to you and to local law enforcement,” Lankford said.

The new rules will go into effect on July 1, and the county wants to have a game plan in place by then, which will include coordination with municipalities.

Since the hours of operation will now be established locally, the county wants to “make sure they’re involved in the process,” according to chairman Andy Nelson, to make sure there’s consistency.

“We don’t want the county to have different hours so you run form here to the Boulder Bar because they’re open longer,” Lankford said.

Most of the liquor licenses fall under the purview of the three incorporated municipalities, but changes to state law are also coming to other alcohol licenses as well.

The state has “always required the full retail license holders to purchase $2,000 worth of liquor every year,” Lankford said. “And they’re going to require that of beer licenses. … They’re going to have to prove they purchased $2,000 worth of beer, which might be more than what they’re doing as a business.”

In addition, license holders will also need to keep their licenses active.

In the past, licensees could “hold it for a year without operating,” Lankford said. “Well now, they’re going to reduce that. … You’ve got to operate at least weekly if you’re holding one of those licenses.”

That could affect seasonal establishments who may “close for a month or two,” according to Lankford.

The new state statutes – and their potential impact on the local level – are currently being examined by the County Attorney’s Office to determine the extent of action and enforcement that will need to be taken in preparation for the July 1 start date, in addition to the local controls that should be in place moving forward.

For more from the commissioners’ meeting, see Tuesday’s Examiner.