Okokuzithokozisa okubandakanya utshwala e-Portland
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These information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your experiences on Airbnb. These pages include summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to government resources that you may find helpful.
Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your Experience, we encourage you to check with official sources or seek legal advice.
Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the laws or procedures have not changed recently.*
I plan to include alcohol during my experience, is there anything I should be thinking about?
Yes. If you plan to include alcohol during your experience, we encourage you to please keep your safety, and that of your Guests, front of mind.
Safe experiences do not involve providing alcohol to a Guest:
- Who is under 21;
- Who will be driving or operating any type of vehicle;
- Who looks or acts inebriated;
- Who has informed you that they are ill or has a drinking problem; or
- Until after any portion of an Experience involving physical activity (like yoga, swimming, hiking, biking) or activities that involve operating machinery is complete.
The Oregon Liquor Control has also provided some useful tips on responsible hosting available here.
In addition, if you are hosting an experience with alcohol in a public venue or outdoor space, make sure alcohol is permitted to be consumed in that venue and consider whether a permit is required. In addition, consider whether you should get a Temporary Sales License for your experience.
Do I need a license if I serve alcohol to my guests at my home, at a private venue or outdoors?
To sell alcohol to your guests, you either need a license under the Oregon Liquor Control Act or you need to hire a caterer licensed by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Note that, for a variety of reasons, permanent licenses are not generally available for alcohol sold at a private residence. Selling alcohol includes situations where:
- You sell alcohol to your Guest (by, for example, charging Guests for a glass of wine you serve yourself).
- You sell alcohol to your Guest indirectly - by including a charge for the wine you serve to your Guest in your Experience price.
What if my Experience is BYOB, and I want to allow guests to bring their own alcohol?
If your experience is in your private home and it is not open to the general public, then hosting a BYOB experience likely does not appear to require a license under the Oregon Liquor Control Act.
Complimentary Alcohol:
As of the date when we posted this article, you may not need a license under the Oregon Liquor Control Act if you are not selling alcohol to your Guests. This means you may not need a license to serve alcohol to your Guests at a party that meets all of these requirements:
- You don’t charge anything for your Experience involving alcohol (you cannot even charge for food served with the alcohol). This means that any Experience that involves serving alcohol in a private home has to be free for the Guest;
- Your Guests may bring their own alcohol and consume it; and
- Your party is pre-booked by Guests and you don’t let in people who are not invited or pre-booked.
Generally speaking, this is a tricky area and we encourage you to check with your local office of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and speak to a lawyer to make sure you are correctly interpreting these provisions and are following your local laws.
Temporary Sales License
If you plan on selling alcohol - either directly for the service of alcohol itself or indirectly as part of your Experience price, you need to first get a Temporary Sales License from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. There are a number of steps that you need to complete before being approved for a Temporary Sales License. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has put together a Temporary Sales License Application Guide and brochure to walk you through the process which includes:
- Getting your Alcohol Service Permit before applying for your license by completing an Alcohol Server Education course and passing the test (available in-person and online), filing your Service Permit Application, and paying the $23 application fee;
- Completing the Temporary Sales License Application, which requires you to describe the area where alcohol be served, indicate whether minors will be at your experience, expected attendance, and your “management” plan (i.e. your plan to prevent problems and violations, for preventing minors for drinking, and for preventing of-age guests from over-drinking);
- Having your application approved and signed by the local government where your Experience will be held (see below for more detail).
- Submitting your completed application to your local OLCC office at least 2-4 weeks prior to your Experience; and
- Paying the $50 application fee.
If you are applying for a Temporary Sales License for a privately owned venue in the City of Portland, the local government agency you can reach out to is the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. They can be reached at (503) 823-3092 over the phone or in person at their office located at 1221 SW 4th Ave, Suite 110, Portland, OR 97204. More information can be found here.
If you are applying for a Temporary Sales License for an event you plan to host in a public park, the local government agency you can reach out to is Parks Recreation. They can be reached at (503) 823-7529 over the phone or in person at their office located at 1120 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 1302, Portland, OR 97204. More information can be found here.
Once submitted, the Commission can take up to 10 business days to process the application. A Temporary Sales license allows you to sell alcohol to your Guests for up to 7 consecutive days. As a license holder, you’ll be required to:
- Provide 3 “substantial food items” if you plan to serve hard alcohol or 2 “substantial food items” if you’re only serving beer or wine. The Commission describes a substantial food item as food that is typically served as a main course or entree (like fish, pasta, pizza or sandwiches) - side dishes, appetizers, snacks and desserts do not count; and
- Only serve alcohol in the area described in your application.
What if my experience takes place at a bar?
You would be unlikely to run afoul of regulations if you take your guests to your favorite local bars that are licensed under the Oregon Liquor Control Act. You can even pay for a first round of drinks there and include the cost in your Experience Price.
I brew my own beer or produce my own wine. What do I need to keep in mind?
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission provides FAQs regarding homemade alcoholic beverages. Under the Oregon Liquor Control Act, home-brewers can make beer, wine or cider for noncommercial purposes (i.e., without financial compensation) without a license. Similarly, under federal law, home-brewers can make beer or wine for their own family or personal use, and not for sale, without a license.
You can teach Guests how to brew beer or wine at your own home, but you shouldn’t charge for assisting Guests in brewing their own batch. In addition, you can serve Guests a complimentary taste of your home-brew as part of such an Experience. You may not sell Guests any of your home-brewed beer or wine.
That said, we encourage you to check with your local office of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission or speak to a lawyer to make sure you are correctly interpreting this exemption and are following your local laws.
*Airbnb is not responsible for the reliability or correctness of the information contained in any links to third party sites (including any links to legislation and regulations).