Tami’s in Tacoma’s McKinley Hill neighborhood is on an enforced dry spell after state regulators said the bar piled up a cluster of public safety violations in under two years. The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board has hit the bar with a 15 day liquor license suspension, blocking alcohol sales through June 25 and tagging on a $2,500 penalty.
The board pulled the trigger on the suspension Wednesday after investigators documented two instances of overservice and a substantiated finding that patrons were allowed to use cannabis on the premises in October 2025. The move follows an earlier charge on Oct. 28, 2023, for sales to an apparently intoxicated person, plus settlement fines tied to incidents in 2023 and 2025. Agency records show dozens of complaints this year and several enforcement matters still open. The state pause was announced after the LCB added up those infractions and imposed the 15 day penalty, according to The News Tribune.
How penalties escalate under state rules
Washington law and agency rules use a two year look back window that groups repeat violations and ratchets up penalties as similar problems keep popping up. Under the Washington Administrative Code, penalties increase with each successive violation in that period and, depending on the violation category, can mean longer suspensions or steeper monetary options in place of closure. That structure is what led the board to impose a 15 day pause once Tami’s crossed the three infraction threshold.
Spotty history in a residential stretch of McKinley Hill
Tami’s opened at its current McKinley Avenue address in 2019 and has drawn neighborhood complaints and city attention for years. City records show Tacoma temporarily revoked the bar’s municipal business license in November 2021 after a run of nuisance and safety complaints.
Owner Tami Hiatt later agreed to conditions in order to reopen, including installing security cameras, closing earlier and staffing a door person during busy events. She also told regulators the business might operate "periodically" for food and nonalcoholic service during the liquor pause. Neighbors and the Tacoma Police Department have been watching developments closely as the LCB works through remaining enforcement matters, according to The News Tribune.
What happens next
With the 15 day suspension in effect, the bar cannot sell alcohol while the penalty is in place and the outstanding complaints are resolved through the agency’s enforcement process. The LCB says it emphasizes education and compliance first, but it will use suspensions and fines when it decides public safety calls for stronger action. For now, regulars, nearby residents and the owner are left waiting to see whether the forced break leads to changes in how Tami’s operates or to more heat from regulators.
