Lawsuit Contesting Wedding Barn Regulations Tossed
Barn owners claimed a new law requiring licenses to serve alcohol unconstitutionally targeted them.
Wedding barns, like this one owned by John Eron of Portage County, are a growing part of Wisconsin’s agricultural tourism industry. Glen Moberg/WPR
An attempt by wedding barn owners to strike down changes requiring them to get liquor licenses has failed.
On Wednesday, a Trempealeau County judge dismissed their claim that a major 2023 rewrite of Wisconsin’s alcohol laws unconstitutionally targeted them.
The massive bipartisan bill that overhauled Wisconsin’s liquor laws created a slate of new regulations for private event venues known as wedding barns.
Starting in 2026, the law gives wedding barn owners a choice: either get a liquor license and serve it at as many events as they want, or get a special permit allowing them to serve beer and wine without a license just six times per year.
Previously, there weren’t any restrictions on when or how those renting the facilities could bring and serve alcohol at their events.
The owners of Farmview Event Barn in Berlin and Monarch Valley Wedding and Events in Blair filed a lawsuit in May 2024 that claimed the upcoming ultimatum under the law violates their right to earn a living under the Wisconsin Constitution. The state Department of Revenue defended the law and argued in an Oct. 31 motion to dismiss that the liquor license requirement will soon treat all businesses serving alcohol equally.
During his oral ruling Wednesday, Trempealeau County Circuit Court Judge Rian Radtke agreed with the DOR’s claim that the wedding barn provision falls under the state’s responsibility to protect against excessive drinking.
“As a result, it will likely reduce the risks of over consumption and the public danger that goes with such alcohol related behavior,” Radtke said.
Radtke dismissed the lawsuit.
The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, or WILL, which represented the wedding barn owners, had asked Radke for an injunction blocking the law’s impact on their clients. In a statement, attorney Lucas Vebber said WILL is disappointed in the court’s decision to dismiss their suit.
“We remain committed to protecting our clients’ fundamental rights as we discuss potential next steps in this case,” Vebber said.
The Department of Revenue didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.
Wedding barns aside, the legislation altering Wisconsin’s alcohol laws represented one of the biggest shifts in how the state regulates its alcohol industry since prohibition was repealed in 1933. The revisions received broad support from alcohol wholesalers, retailers, brewers, banquet halls, and the powerful Tavern League of Wisconsin. The legislation passed with wide bipartisan support in the state Assembly and Senate.
Judge dismisses wedding barn lawsuit was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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