In the old days, getting into a bar in Utah meant filling out on application and paying a fee to become a member of a private club. No more.
Getting into a bar in Utah is now as simple as showing a bouncer a valid ID.
The state hopes the move will lure more vacationers and tourists, which is a $7 billion a year industry.
Celebratory pub crawls are planned throughout the state.
"It’s 40 years of oppression come to an end," said Dave Morris, owner of Piper Down. "There’s this national perception that we don’t have bars here, so hopefully this gets out there that we’re open for business."
Utah has long had a host of liquor laws that befuddled newcomers, but none was as maddening as the state’s private club system. While technically private, anyone willing to pay a membership fee costing at least $12 a year could come into a bar. Each bar required a separate membership.
Adding to the confusion, hotel guests had membership fees at their hotel bars included in their room rates and no memberships were needed to go into a bar that only served beer.
Report by David Wilkening
