Hopewell Memorial Post 146 - 804-541-3735

House Rules and Regulations

May, 2024

1. All Club Room and Legion Hall activities are under the direct control of the Post 146 Executive Committee through the House Committee. Employees will receive instructions from the Kitchen/Bar Manager about operating the Club Room and/or Legion Hall, and their daily tasks.
2.  The following eligible persons shall be admitted to the Club Room:    

     a. Members: All members of the American Legion (AL), American Legion Auxiliary (ALA), and Sons of the American Legion (SAL) known to be members in good standing and possessing a current membership card for all Posts.

     b. Guests: Guests must be accompanied by an American Legion, Auxiliary, or Sons of the American Legion member known to be in good standing. With the exception of spouses, all guests who are eligible for membership in the AL, ALA and/ or SAL are permitted three (3) guest visits.

     c.  Prospective Member: A prospective member is considered a guest until he/she is voted into the Legion, Auxiliary, or Sons of the American Legion. Members are responsible for their guest(s). If a prospective member is denied membership, they cannot enter the Post as a gues

    d.  Former Member:

1. Former members of any American Legion organization, unless they have reapplied for membership, cannot be signed-in as guests, except as immediate family members of a current member in good standing.
2. If a member of the Post 146 Family, for whatever reason, has their membership suspended, revoked, or terminated, they cannot be admitted to the Post except by express, written permission of the Post Commander.

3.  The ABC Manager-on-Duty shall have full authority to enforce House Rules; may refuse service to, and/or eject any person for misconduct or violation of House Rules.  

a.  Members or guests who appear to be intoxicated will not be served alcoholic beverages and are not allowed to remain on the premises per Virginia ABC Regulation. However, said members (or guests) will be allowed to return the following day. An intoxicated member should not be allowed to drive. If the intoxicated member does not have funds to pay for a taxi ride home, the money will be taken from the till to pay the fare. The member will be required to repay the Post for the taxi fare.

2. When a member and/or guest has been ejected, a written report describing the reason(s) for the ejection must be submitted to the House Committee for review and, if necessary, other action.

4.  Order of Service: Bartender/Servers will endeavor to provide responsive service to all customers. However, the priority for service is (1) food, (2) drinks, (3) pull-tabs, and (4) other services.

5.  The ABC Manager-on-Duty will announce a “Last Call” for alcoholic beverages not later than 30 minutes before closing. 

6.  Priority for music or TV use in the Club Room will be determined by a consensus of the customers. If a consensus cannot be determined, the ABC Manager-on-Duty, House Committee Member or Executive Committee Member present shall make the final decision.

7.  Members or guests shall not reprimand a Post employee. Any suggestion or criticism of the Post, a Post employee or Post operations shall be presented in person or submitted in writing to the Kitchen/Bar Manager, ABC Manager on Duty, or a member of the House Committee. The House Committee will give the suggestion or criticism due consideration, review, and take action as necessary.

8.  All members of Post 146 must have a Key Fob. Key Fobs control entry into the Club Room and remain the property of Post 146. Key Fobs must be returned upon termination of membership in Post 146. A $10.00 charge will be incurred for replacing a lost key fob. Rules and procedures for key fobs are contained in the Post 146 Electronic Key Fob Policy.

9. The Club Room is closed to Hopewell Memorial Post 146 Members during general membership meetings. The American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 146 and Sons of the American Legion, Squadron 146 prohibit use of the Club Room by their members during membership meetings. All organization members at the Post must attend a scheduled membership meeting unless excused by the respective organization’s commander/president. AL, ALA, and SAL meetings start promptly at 7:00 pm. The American Legion Riders, Two Rivers Chapter, will determine its own criteria concerning meeting attendance.
10. Persons under the age of 18 years must be accompanied and supervised by their adult guardian(s) at all times. No one under the age of 18 years shall be allowed on the premises after 9:00 PM unless attending a special function approved by the House Committee.
11. No alcoholic beverages will be purchased for or served to any person under the age of 21. Customers must show proof of age when requested to do so.
12. All individuals shall wear clothing and footwear appropriate for the season. Clothing must cover the body, is not ragged or excessively torn, nor provocative and/or excessively revealing. Apparel which includes or exhibits lewd or pornographic images or offensive language (e.g., swearing, cursing, crude or insulting writing or images) is not appropriate. Factory made outer wear (e.g., muscle shirt) is authorized but sleeveless undershirts are not authorized for wear in the facility as an outer garment.

13.  Loud, profane, or derogatory language will not be tolerated. 

14.  Access to the kitchen, behind the bar or in the storage areas is restricted to authorized persons. The ABC Manager on duty or cook on duty is responsible for authorizing access. 

15.  Except for personally owned wine or spirits in the original bottle or container, no alcoholic beverages may be taken from the premises.

16.Pets are not allowed in the Club Room or Legion Hall, except for Commonwealth approved service animals in the company of their handicapped handler(s). Only those animals recognized by Code of Virginia § 51.5-44. Rights of persons with disabilities in public places and places of public accommodation, may enter the Post.

17.  Complimentary food may be eaten only on the premises.

18.  Theft of any property whether belonging to Post 146 or personal property is a major infraction and will be addressed according to appropriate civil law.

19.  A member is liable for the loss, damage or destruction of any property belonging to Post 146 when the loss, damage or destruction was caused by that member or their guest(s).

20. All special activities or events must be scheduled through the Kitchen/Bar Manager. Legion Hall rentals must be scheduled and planned as detailed in the Legion Hall Rental Policy. In the event of conflicting dates, the order of precedence is Legion, Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion and American Legion Riders. Individual and group/organization renters have lowest priority.
21. ​Smoking and/or vaping is permitted outside the Post 146 building, but no closer than 10 feet from any entrance/exit.
22. Charitable Gaming Regulations.

a.  Virginia Department of Charitable Gaming (VDCG) regulations require that all pull-tab, coin board, instant winner tickets and receipts be held for 90 days after disbursement for audit purposes. Each winner’s name and address must be entered on the appropriate VDCG form. If the winner is a guest passing through, going on vacation etc., a phone number must also be included so the winner may be contacted to award the prize or notified if an error is discovered. Prizes not collected within 30 days are considered unclaimed and forfeited to the Post 146 Club Room Account.

b.  No more than two pull-tab games will be active at any time.

23. Any member observing a violation or failure to enforce these rules, should report the violation, in writing, to the House Committee within 48 hours of observing the violation.

24. Discipline.
    1. All reported violations of these Rules and Regulations will be investigated by the House Committee. When an alleged infraction is reported, the member (s) involved will have their access to the Post suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.  If evidence indicates an infraction occurred, the member (or the member’s guest) will receive a warning letter and access to the Post reinstated only after corrective action is taken by the member (or member’s guest) to resolve the issue. However, if investigation proves the circumstances are serious, the case is referred to the Executive Committee for review. Upon review, the Executive Committee may take one the following actions or a more severe action:
    • First offense:         Letter of Admonishment and/or suspension of up to 30 Days
    • Second offense:     Suspension of up to 6 months
    • Third offense:      Suspension of up to 1 year
    • Fourth offense:     Permanent suspension – Post privileges withdrawn
    2. The Executive Committee may adjust the length of any suspension due to the severity of the offense, the individual’s past history and time, if any, since a previous incident; and other mitigating circumstances.
    3. If a disciplinary action involves a member of another Post, the member’s home Post will be notified of the incident and any disciplinary action taken.
25. Post 146 will be closed on Easter Sunday, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Christmas Day.

26.Notification.

A copy of these House Rules will remain available in the Club Room at all times. All new members of Post 146 (American Legion, Auxiliary, or Sons of the American Legion) will receive a copy of these House Rules when issued their membership.

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