Legal Topics - Alcohol on Campus Sites

The university values and encourages an alcohol-free environment, but recognizes that alcoholic beverages may be available at some campus activities. Such activities are consistent with the university's cultural values when they foster moderation and safety in alcohol consumption and are conducted in a manner in compliance with Ohio law. Underage drinking and excessive consumption are not acceptable or legal and will not be condoned or tolerated. It is imperative that appropriate permission is obtained prior to an event. Do not overlook this important component if you are considering serving alcohol at your event!

Procedure for Requesting Permission to Serve Alcohol

If you wish to serve alcohol at a university event in a non-permanently licensed campus site, you must obtain prior university approval to do so. To arrange for such approval, you must submit a request to the Office of Legal Affairs at least two weeks before the event.

In addition, if you intend to charge a fee for anything in connection with the event, it may be necessary to obtain a permit from the Division of Liquor Control, which requires a significantly longer application process. The Office of Legal Affairs will assist you in that process, but to ensure sufficient time to complete it, you should submit your request at least six to eight weeks before the event.

In order to obtain approval, the requesting department must submit an Authorization to Serve Alcohol Request Form to the Office of Legal Affairs, along with an approval from the Vice President, Dean, or equivalent administrator. Electronic submission of the form is preferred via the “Submit by Email” button on the form. The approval may be indicated by a signature on the form, or if the form is submitted electronically, via email to ASArequests@admin.ohio-state.edu. No additional cover letter is necessary, as long as all information requested is provided. The Request Form requires the following information:

1. The date, beginning and ending time, and place of the event;
2. A description of the types of people who will be attending the event (e.g., faculty, staff, students, alumni, etc.) and an estimate of the number of people who will be attending the event;
3. A description of the purpose of the event (e.g., alumni reception, faculty-student mixer, going-away reception, etc.);
4. A list of the kinds of alcohol you propose to serve (beer, wine, liquor);
5. An explanation of how non-attendees will be prohibited from entering the event (e.g., fenced off, usher at doorway, use of wristbands, etc.);
6. An explanation of how attendees will be checked, before being served, to determine that they are of legal drinking age;
7. A statement as to whether any money will be collected in connection with the event and, if so, for what (e.g., alcohol, food, admission or cover charge, etc.); and
8. The contact information for the responsible contact person, including email, telephone, campus address, and department.

The request will be reviewed when all of the required information is complete. If no temporary permit is required, the Office of Legal Affairs will forward the request to the Office of Business and Finance for final approval. When approval is granted, the Office of Legal Affairs will email the requestor the signed approval in PDF form and send the original via campus mail.

If a temporary permit is necessary, the Office of Legal Affairs will help you select the appropriate type of permit and forward it to the Office of Business and Finance and the Department of Public Safety for signatures. Send only a copy of the permit itself - DO NOT SEND ANY CHECKS TO THE OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS. You may retain the original permit during this process; University signatures are only required on one page of the permit.

Once the signature page has been signed by both the Office of Business and Finance and the Department of Public Safety, we will return the completed signature page to you via campus mail or hold for pickup at our office. The requesting entity is responsible for submitting the permit to the Department of Liquor Control. In order to ensure that you have adequate security at your event, you must also directly contact the University Police Special Events Coordinator at 688-3211.

Commonly Used Temporary Alcohol Permits and Applications

If it is determined that your special event requires a temporary alcohol permit, you will need to submit an application for a permit to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. The Office of Legal Affairs will assist you in determining the appropriate permit for your event. Applications and forms can be downloaded from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control website at: http://www.liquorcontrol.ohio.gov/liquor12c05.htm.

The following are the most commonly used permits on our campus:

F Permit: May be issued to any association of ten or more persons, labor union, charitable organizations, or to an employer of ten or more persons sponsoring a function for his/her employees to sell BEER ONLY. An "F" permit is effective for not more than five (5) days for the sale of BEER ONLY until 1:00am. No more than two (2) "F" permits may be issued to the same applicant in any thirty (30) day period.

F-2 Permit: For a function sponsored by a nonprofit organization organized for a charitable, cultural, fraternal or educational purpose, to sell beer, wine, mixed beverages, and spirituous liquor by the drink, at a place where the sale of beer, wine, mixed beverages, and spirituous liquor on that day is otherwise permitted by law. An "F-2" permit is effective for not more than forty-eight (48) consecutive hours, and no sales can be made after 1:00am. No more than two "F-2" permits can be issued to the same applicant in one calendar year.

F-6 Permit: May be issued to a nonprofit organization that is exempt from federal income taxation under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, to sell wine at an event organized and conducted by, and for the benefit of, the nonprofit organization. No F-6 permit shall be effective for more than seventy-two consecutive hours, and sales of wine under the permit shall be confined to the same hours permitted to the holder of a D-2 permit. The Division shall not issue more than six F-6 permits per calendar year to the same nonprofit organization.

University Expenditure Policy
Permission to serve alcohol must be in accordance with the University Expenditure Policy that alcohol purchases be charged to discretionary accounts and have the approval of a Vice President, Dean, or an equivalent administrator in the appropriate College or administrative unit. For the complete policy, please visit the Office of the Controller’s Financial Policies website at https://www.ctlr.ohio-state.edu/webhelp/financial_policies.htm. (In the menu, click on Policies à Expenditure Policy à Alcohol.)

Tailgating
The University generally will not grant permission for alcohol to be served at any campus “tailgate” type function during a home football weekend except at those University facilities permanently licensed to serve alcohol (e.g. the Faculty Club, the Blackwell, etc.) or those events for which a temporary alcohol permit is obtained through the Ohio Department of Liquor Control. For a complete explanation of the policy, please see the Tailgate Party Memorandum.

Holiday Parties
See Guidelines for Holiday Parties for more information.

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Legal Topics - Alcohol on Campus Sites

Procedure for Requesting Permission to Serve Alcohol

Commonly Used Temporary Alcohol Permits and Applications