- Salt Lake City considers a new ordinance targeting after-hours alcohol consumption violations.
- The proposal introduces stricter regulations than state law and a tiered enforcement process.
- The City Council is expected to vote on the proposed measure in October.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital city is considering a new ordinance that would crack down on businesses that skirt state and local liquor laws, which police say remains a problem even after a downtown nightclub was raided two years ago.
Salt Lake City's administrative office is proposing the new ordinance, which would introduce a new "tiered administrative enforcement process" for after-hours alcohol consumption. It also includes "timely intervention, civil penalties and the ability to require remedial measures ot nuisance abatement plans," according to the proposal.
"There really is a pretty sizeable loophole right here that they've found," said Salt Lake City Police Deputy Chief Bill Manzanares, explaining that many of the after-hours parties police have encountered were operated through gaps in state liquor regulations and local laws, which essentially allowed unsanctioned clubs to operate several hours into the morning.
Some of these places, he added during a Salt Lake City Council meeting on Tuesday, drew in complaints that ranged in severity, including homicide and sexual assault in the worst cases. The city is looking at tightening what's allowed between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., which are when most after-hours cases are called in.
After-hours problems
What the city is proposing is in response to "persistent" public nuisance issues at nonresidential premises within the city, which have "placed significant strain on city resources and negatively impacted neighborhood safety and quality of life," said Michael Sanders, a policy analyst for Salt Lake City.
The most notable example involved the New Yorker nightclub downtown, which Salt Lake police raided in 2023 after numerous police calls, including a pair of shootings on consecutive days that led to increased police patrols on Market Street. Its registered agent and promoter were later charged with money laundering and engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, while two other men were charged with other felonies as part of a 10-month investigation into the business.
While the case remains ongoing in the court system, Salt Lake County prosecutors allege that business owners obtained a license that listed the New Yorker as a "reception center," which prohibits alcohol storage or sale of alcohol on the premises, but it functioned as an "after-hours club" lasting as late as 5 a.m., according to charges filed last year.
However, many after-hours party copycats have emerged since then, Manzanares told members of the Salt Lake City Council, as he described the problem. Somebody rents out a business that is not licensed the same way a bar, restaurant or club is, and it is then used to host "private parties" that draw in large crowds.
"I think one is an art gallery, and — through social media — they'll invite several hundred people who will show up, and they're selling and using alcohol inside (and) really acting like a club late in the morning hours, and they don't have a license to do so," he said.
There have been calls for police assistance almost every night these events take place, city officials noted.
A proposed solution
Alcohol consumption would be banned "in common areas of commercial and nonresidential properties" between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., under the plan. That includes bars and all other nonresidential structures in the city with areas generally accessible to customers or guests, Sanders said, noting that it's stricter than the state law that bans alcohol at licensed premises between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Any business or property that draws at least three separate incidents of "nuisance or violent behavior" within a 180-day window, has "nuisance behavior" occurring at least 30 days in a row, or has five or more police calls for "nuisance issues" within a month can be declared a nuisance by the city. Nuisances may include noise, crime or other issues that generate police calls and neighborhood disturbances.
A business would be required to reach an agreement with the city on a nuisance abatement plan afterward, and also show that "remedial measures were taken," Sanders wrote. These steps could include hiring private security, installing metal detectors or other safety measures, changing operating hours or restricting alcohol sales.
Businesses that fail to reach a "corrective action" by the deadline face a $500 fine after the first violation. A second violation within 12 months — with no nuisance abatement plan entered, as well — can result in a $750 fine, while subsequent violations could reach the maximum $1,000 fine.
The city may also suspend or revoke the business's license after two or more citations within a year, and if the company has yet to return to comply with the code and adopt a nuisance abatement plan, according to the proposed ordinance.
The next steps
Members of the Salt Lake City Council received a briefing on the proposed ordinance on Tuesday, where they hashed out questions and concerns. They will be tasked with considering a few aspects of the ordinance, including whether to cite individual drinkers who violate the ban.
The idea, Sanders wrote, is to find the "correct balance between individual responsibility and business oversight." Members appeared to generally be supportive of the concept.
"I think closing this loophole allows us to have just a much cleaner, clearer process that then allows (police) units to be more physically present across the city," said Salt Lake City Councilwoman Sarah Young.
The City Council is tentatively scheduled to vote on the measure during its meeting on Oct. 7.
Salt Lake leaders have already approved a new ordinance aimed at reducing "unruly" parties held in the city. The measure, which was approved last month, shifts the penalties to property owners and increases penalties for parties, gatherings or events on private properties that "disturb the public peace, safety and welfare of the community."
