TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Planning, Building & Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Andrew M. Mize, Legislative & Policy Analyst
SUBJECT: AB 720 Implementation Discussion
RECOMMENDATION
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Receive presentation and provide direction regarding the County's implementation of Assembly Bill 720 (Rogers). (No Fiscal Impact.)
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BACKGROUND
Effective January 1, 2026, under Assembly Bill 720 (Rogers, D-Santa Rosa), the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) will offer an estate tasting event permit (known as a "Type 93 permit") that may be issued to a licensed winegrower. The permit will grant the winegrower the ability to exercise its tasting room privileges, for wine manufactured by or for the winegrower, on either property adjacent to their licensed premises that is owned by or under control of the licensee, or a nonadjacent vineyard that is owned by or under control of the licensee. The purpose of the permit is to enable winegrowers to host special events in areas adjacent to their winery that are currently unlicensed or in their vineyard that is not licensed for alcohol sales and consumption.
In order to exercise the privileges of the permit, the winegrower must apply to ABC for an event authorization, and a permit holder is capped at receiving no more than 36 event authorizations per calendar year. Upon receiving the event authorization from ABC, the permit holder will be able to exercise its tasting room privileges in the approved area. Tasting room privileges that may be exercised include both on-sale and off-sale of the winegrower's wine.
Key Elements
Regulatory Scope of Type 93 Permits
Type 93 permits allow special events to occur on properties containing vineyards, but do not contain a winery production facility. The authority to host these events stems from having a valid Type 02 winegrower license, and the purpose of a winegrower license from the ABC is authorization of the production and sale o...
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