(a) For the purposes of section 30-86, any permittee shall require any person whose age is in question to fill out and sign a statement in the following form on one occasion when each such person makes a purchase:
...., 20..
I, ...., hereby represent to ...., a permittee of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, that I am over the age of 21 years, having been born on ...., 19.., at ..... This statement is made to induce said permittee to sell or otherwise furnish alcoholic beverages to the undersigned. I understand that title 30 of the general statutes prohibits the sale of alcoholic liquor to any person who is not twenty-one years of age.
I understand that I am subject to a fine of one hundred dollars for the first offense and not more than two hundred fifty dollars for each subsequent offense for wilfully misrepresenting my age for the purposes set forth in this statement.
.... (Name)
.... (Address)
Such statement once taken shall be applicable both to the particular sale in connection with which such statement was taken, as well as to all future sales at the same premises, and shall have full force and effect under subsection (b) of this section as to every subsequent sale or purchase. Such statement shall be printed upon appropriate forms to be furnished by the permittees and approved by the Department of Consumer Protection and shall be kept on file on the permit premises, alphabetically indexed, in a suitable file box, and shall be open to inspection by the Department of Consumer Protection or any of its agents or inspectors at any reasonable time. Any person who makes any false statement on a form signed by him as required by this section shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars for the first offense and not more than two hundred fifty dollars for each subsequent offense.
(b) In any case where such a statement has been procured and the permittee is subsequently charged with serving or furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor, if such permittee, in proceedings before any court of this state or the Department of Consumer Protection, introduces such statement in evidence and shows that the evidence presented to him to establish the age of the purchaser was such as would convince a reasonable man, no penalty shall be imposed on such permittee.
(1963, P.A. 358, S. 2, 3; February, 1965, P.A. 149; 1967, P.A. 331; 1972, P.A. 127, S. 58; P.A. 77-614, S. 165, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 80, 136; P.A. 80-482, S. 170, 199, 348; P.A. 82-68, S. 4, 11; P.A. 83-508, S. 3; P.A. 85-264, S. 2, 4; P.A. 93-139, S. 65; P.A. 95-195, S. 77, 83; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(d); P.A. 04-169, S. 17; 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 05-288, S. 133.)
History: 1965 act made $100 maximum fine in Subsec. (a) previously in force applicable to first offenses and imposed $200 maximum fine for subsequent offenses; 1967 act required single signing of statement applicable to all sales where previously purchaser was required to sign statement each time he made a purchase; 1972 act changed age of majority from 21 to 18; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced liquor control commission with division of liquor control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 made division of liquor control an independent department and abolished the department of business regulation, overriding provision of same act which would have placed the division within the public safety department; P.A. 82-68 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting 19 for 18 in the text of the form statement to be completed by persons of questionable age, reflecting change in drinking age; P.A. 83-508 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting 20 for 19 in the text of the form statement to be completed by persons of questionable age, reflecting change in drinking age; P.A. 85-264 amended statement contents in Subsec. (a) to reflect raised drinking age from 20 to 21; P.A. 93-139 made technical changes, deleting obsolete references to persons attaining age of 20 on or before September 1, 1985; P.A. 95-195 substituted Department of Consumer Protection for Department of Liquor Control, effective July 1, 1995; (Revisor's note: In 2001 the references in Subsec. (a) to the date “19..” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “20..” to reflect the new millennium; however, in 2003, the reference in Subsec. (a) to “... having been born on ...., 20.., at .....” was again changed editorially by the Revisors to “... having been born on ...., 19.., at .....” for accuracy); June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 and P.A. 04-169 replaced Department of Consumer Protection with Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 05-288 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective July 13, 2005.
Cited. 207 C. 88.
Prior to 1967 amendment, statement must be obtained from purchaser each time purchase made. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 170.