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Quirk in Tennessee law makes alcohol sales in Grainger County illegal

Stores in the City of Blaine are still selling alcohol as lawmakers work to fix the problem in the state code.

BLAINE, Tenn. — A quirk in Tennessee's code made it illegal for cities in Grainger County to sell alcohol. 

TCA 57-3-106 made it legal for cities to hold elections to decide whether businesses can sell alcohol in those areas, except in counties with 23,500 to 24,000 people. 

In 2018, Grainger County voters voted to allow the sale of wine at retail food stores in Blaine, Tennessee. The city is located inside Grainger County. 

But, the 2020 census said Grainger County has 23,527 people, making the referendum illegal. The previous census said Grainger County had 22,657 people, meaning the county was below the threshold when the referendum passed. 

State lawmakers have proposed a bill to end that restriction.

"This permits in code the ability of cities within those counties to hold referendums," said Senator Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield). "They've already done it in some cases but it wasn't legal." 

Still, some stories in Blaine sell beer. The By-Lo Market in Blaine sells beer and is one of the only places in the city which can sell it. The gas station is located inside Knox County, but still within city limits.

"We get more of our sales with beer than we do most of the other things that we do have," said Lexi Whitmore, one of the market's clerks. "We even have customers that come in at 5:00 in the morning that buy beer." 

Whitmore said if stores in Blaine couldn't sell alcohol, people would have to drive to Knox County to buy alcohol. 

SB 1452/HB 0044 passed the Tennessee House on March 13. The Senate State and Local Government Committee recommended the bill pass. The governor would have to sign it before it takes effect. 

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