MOSES LAKE - Tymmy O'Shea's Irish Pub in Moses Lake is opening later than planned.

It will open on July 23.

It is so the pub can take advantage of a new state law removing the 100 person or more occupancy limit to qualify for a state nightclub license, according to information from the state Liquor Control Board.

It also means the business won't have to install an expensive sprinkler system, said one of the business's owners, Scotty Tymczyszyn.

The law helps small businesses like his because a sprinkler system is required in Moses Lake businesses if there is more than 100 person occupancy, he said.

The pub will have a 93 to 99 person occupancy.

"It is a perfectly reasonable law and made for an absolute good reason," he commented.

He said he won't have to do anything differently to the building, other than waiting for the state's occupancy law to change on July 22.

The change also means no occupancy permit is required for a nightclub liquor license, he explained.

But if the law wasn't changing to benefit businesses like the pub, there would be different food and hour requirements, he said.

"We would have to start all over at the beginning," he said.

He estimated it would cost about $15,000 in permitting and $100,000 for a sprinkler system, which makes sense if there are 100 or more people dancing, he said.

The state nightclub license was originally written for bigger businesses than his, he said.

He blames himself for misunderstanding the law and no one else, he said.

The pub is located at 101 W Broadway Ave., Moses Lake.