Park County generally has a number of free liquor licenses for businesses to apply for at any time. 

That flexibility has evaporated. 

With 23 full liquor licenses being approved at the June 17 meeting, the county only has one available. 

That prompted First Deputy County Clerk Hans Odde to suggest the commissioners look at different actions they could take in this unusual situation for them. 

“We'd always had a number of licenses left, two, three, four, five,” Odde said, adding, “I never anticipated that we would get down to one remaining. It might be a thing the commissioners want to consider at some point, having some sort of a policy decision or figure out how you're going to say, ‘we have one left, and all of a sudden, two applicants come in, and how do you decide?’”

He suggested Commissioner Scott Mangold, the former mayor of Powell, would have insight as to what can be done when only one license is available. 

Mangold said he worked with city council to identify criteria — that situation remains an issue in both Powell and Cody these days, as Powell City Council initially had two applicants for its lone available full liquor license at the beginning of the year, although one business then pulled out to give the council an easy decision. 

“I don't know if you want to advertise, or just first come first serve,” Mangold said. “If you run out of liquor licenses, the value goes up pretty high and businesses will want to sell property with the liquor license, then you become Jackson.”

The county’s full liquor
license situation is different from that in the municipalities. The state regulates licenses based on population and the county only received its 24th a few years ago, Odde said. 

Of the 23 approved Tuesday, 13 are for guest ranches and thus have special allowances where alcohol can be sold anywhere on the property, such as at a dude ranch chuckwagon dinner. 

Businesses have to be conducting guest ranch activities, such as horse rides or chuckwagon dinners, to be able to qualify for the permit. 

Eleven of the businesses are also dependent on Forest Service leases. 

Businesses can also acquire 24 hour permits for special events if they don’t possess a full permit.