MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A pair of wedding barns sued the state of Wisconsin on Tuesday seeking to block enactment of a new law requiring them to get liquor licenses similar to other establishments that host events.
They argue that because they don’t serve beer or alcohol themselves, but rather allow wedding parties to bring their own, they should not be subject to the same regulations that bars and taverns face. Owners and operators of wedding barns tried unsuccessfully last year to kill the law that overhauled regulation of the state’s multibillion-dollar liquor industry.
The changes, which had been worked on for years, had buy-in from both Republicans and Democrats, large and small brewers, wholesalers and retailers.
Farmview Event Barn, located in Berlin, and Monarch Valley Wedding & Events, in Blair, filed the lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.