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About Us
About Us
Alcohol & Tobacco Commission Purpose
The general purposes of the Alcohol & Tobacco Commission's work, as defined by law, are:
- To protect the economic welfare, health, peace and morals of the people of this state
- To regulate and limit the manufacture, sale, possession, and use of alcohol and alcoholic beverages
- To provide for the raising of revenue
The Commission licenses and regulates over 15,000 permits for the manufacture, distribution or sale of alcoholic beverages at restaurants, breweries, wineries, grocery stores, hotels, drug stores, package stores, stadiums, civic centers, social and fraternal clubs, horse tracks and river boats throughout the State of Indiana. In addition to business alcoholic beverage permits, the Commission licenses and regulates the permits of every bartender, waiter, waitress, salesperson and clerk associated with the sale or service of alcoholic beverages in the State of Indiana - over 200,000 in number. The Commission also licenses and regulates nearly 8,500 tobacco retailers, distributors and manufacturers. The Commission is responsible for raising revenue of approximately $45 million for the citizens of Indiana.
The Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission was created by an Act of the Indiana General Assembly in 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition. Effective July 1, 2001, the name was changed to the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission.
The Commission is composed of four (4) members appointed by the Governor of the State of Indiana. There are also local alcoholic beverage boards in each of the state's 92 counties who consider and review all applications for alcoholic beverage permits in their particular area. An important part of the Commission is its law enforcement division - the Indiana State Excise Police. The State Excise Police enforce the laws of the State of Indiana related to alcoholic beverages as well as the rules of the Commission.