Licensing fees for wineries and breweries in Smyrna will be $1,700 each for manufacturing, package and tastings.
The Smyrna City Council voted Oct. 21 to set these fees.
Over the past year, the Smyrna Community Development Department has met with a winery seeking to locate its business in Smyrna, according to an Oct. 14 memo to Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon and the City Council from Smyrna Community Development Director Russell Martin and Smyrna Economic Development Manager Tom Boland.
Community Development staff officials have worked with the winery to identify potential business locations and assist with the permitting and licensing process, the memo said.
However, until now, Smyrna’s Zoning and Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance has been silent on wineries.
In late 2018, Smyrna officials updated the Zoning and Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance to address the licensing and zoning requirements for breweries and distilleries.
Yet wineries fall under a separate classification under the State Code of Georgia, and they are licensed separately from breweries and distilleries.
In addition to the definitions for winery, wine, table wine, fortified wine and dessert wine, the new code amendments affect license types, limitations on use, consumption on package licensed premises, carry-out restrictions, hours of operations, Sunday sales, distance requirements, winery requirements and the fee schedule.
These terms had to be defined to maintain consistency with state law and to clearly define a winery.
The definitions also provide a clear distinction among wineries, breweries and distilleries.
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