That approval allows Bold City to open the taproom to 40 people while it addresses code violations.
The fire marshal closed the taproom and another section of the facility Thursday because Bold City Brewery’s certificate of use didn’t allow that function.
The manufacturing and brewery side of the business remained opened.
A summary report from the fire marshal said that in August 2008, Bold City was approved for industrial occupancy only and that “at some unknown point, the brewery reconfigured a structure within the facility and started serving beverages to the general public.”
Fire Chief Kurt Wilson said the taproom is classified as a mercantile occupancy.
When inspectors arrived at the brewery Thursday for a routine inspection, Wilson said they noticed a sign advertising yoga and tours, which require an assembly occupancy.
According to the summary, the area is large enough for about 300 people. However, “the brewery is not equipped with the fundamental life safety requirements to utilize the facility as a place of assembly.”
Asked why the violation hadn’t been noticed before, Wilson said inspectors previously assumed that a taproom attached to a brewery was part of the original certificate of use.
“When we go into a business we typically don’t check the COU, especially if nothing piques our interest to do so,” said Wilson. “We assume that if a taproom is attached to a brewery, they’ve been approved to have it.”
The brewery opened in 2008.
Wilson said that annual inspections didn’t begin in Jacksonville until 2012, when the Insurance Service Office recommended the department do so to keep its Class 1 fire rating.
That office assesses risks for fire departments and rates them.
“From 2008 to 2013, there was no inspection there,” he said. “When we came back in 2013, we assumed that the business had the proper COU since it didn’t seem out of the ordinary.”
Bold City Brewery has until Aug. 6 to fix the code violations.