Organizations will apply for temporary permits that allow activities such as:
- Selling and serving alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, mixed drinks) at specific events on licensed or unlicensed premises within a "wet" county for a limited number of days.
- Selling alcohol by the drink for consumption on public streets, alleys, roads, sidewalks, or highways during approved special events.
- Conducting charitable auctions involving the sale of alcoholic liquor.
- Serving alcohol in porcelain containers under certain conditions.
- Temporary permits for state fairs enabling sale of wine and beer at designated locations.
- Selling alcohol to members in private clubs.
- Promoting and enhancing the sale of alcoholic beverages on behalf of brewers or wineries.
- Offering in-store wine and beer samples.
Some permits also allow fundraising activities where alcoholic drinks are complimentary, and nonprofit organizations supporting the arts can serve free alcoholic liquor at approved events without needing a permit. These permits are generally limited to short durations, often up to a few days, and usually have restrictions on how many can be issued to an organization annually. For example, in Kansas, no more than four temporary permits can be issued per year to an organization or person, and permits are typically valid for up to three consecutive days.
In summary, temporary permits allow organizations to legally sell or serve alcoholic beverages at special events, promote alcoholic beverage sales, conduct auctions involving alcohol, and host charity or fundraising events with alcohol service under regulated conditions.
