The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is an agency of the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), responsible for regulating the sale and distribution of

liquor Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through ethanol fermentation, alcoholic ferm ...

in the state.

History

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission was established when Michigan voters approved a legislatively referred amendment to the Michigan Constitution by way of a statewide ballot measure in November 1932. The state's first liquor control act, which went into effect April 27, created a 17-member commission, one from each Congressional district. On December 15, 1933, the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Article IV of the Michigan Con ...

abolished the 17-member commission, replacing it with the current five-member commission. By December 15, 1933, ten days after the end of Prohibition in the United States, the commission had opened liquor stores, and made liquor available for sale. By December 30, 1933, the commission had opened the first 7 state liquor stores—in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of ...

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

, and three in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. In 1934, an additional 96 liquor stores were opened.

Activities

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is responsible for licensing as well as establishment and enforcement of regulations related to liquor purchasing and merchandising in Michigan. The mission of the commission is "to make alcoholic beverages available for consumption while protecting the consumer and the general public through regulation of those involved in the sale and distribution of these alcohol beverage products." The commission's staff is composed of four divisions: enforcement, executive services, financial management, and licensing.

Membership

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is composed of five members appointed by the

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of government of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...

with the advice and consent of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

. No more than three members from the same political party may serve at the same time. Two members are designated as hearing commissioners who preside over violation matters. The other three members are administrative commissioners responsible for matters related to licensing, purchasing, merchandising, and enforcement. These three members also serve as an appeal board for decisions rendered by the hearing commissioners.

References

External links

* {{authority control State alcohol agencies of the United States Liquor Control Commission Liquor Control Commission