Social Drinking Districts are Growing in West and Southwest MI

Pour another round. It is legal to drink downtown in these 19 cities in 9 different West and Southwest Michigan counties as social districts are the new norm.

Have you done it yet? Drinking in public, right out in the open? Only alcoholics would do that, right? It feels almost like hiding rum in your koozie at your kids soccer game, but public drinking is no longer the taboo it once was as social districts are becoming more and more popular in Michigan.

On July 1, 2020, Governor Whitmer signed House Bill 5781 into law creating the Social District Permit. The governing body of a local governmental unit may designate a Social District within its jurisdiction. Qualified licensees whose licensed premises are contiguous to the commons area within the Social District, and that have been approved for and issued a Social District Permit, may sell alcoholic liquor (beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, spirits, or mixed drinks) on their licensed premises to customers who may then consume the alcoholic liquor within the commons area of the Social District.
-Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

You can now legally drink downtown in west and southwest Michigan in these 19 cities in 9 counties that have adopted new laws in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Social Districts in West and Southwest Michigan

More and more cities are establishing social districts where you can sip alcoholic beverages and stroll around town

You should know that there are a few rules for social districts and they only cover a limited area. This information is current as of July 1, 2021. Social districts have been approved in more than 40 other cities across the state. Cheers!

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Categories: Articles, Beer & Wine