Bill > S2853

Introduced Session

This bill allows the governing body of a municipality to adopt an ordinance to reduce the population limit necessary to issue additional plenary retail consumption licenses. Under current law, plenary retail consumption licenses authorize the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises, which generally applies to bars and restaurants. The number of plenary retail consumption licenses issued by a municipality is limited based on the population of that municipality. A municipality may issue plenary retail and seasonal retail consumption licenses until the combined total number in the municipality is fewer than one license for each 3,000 municipal residents. Due to this restriction, there is a shortage of these licenses in some municipalities. To address this shortage, this bill allows municipalities to adopt an ordinance to decrease the current population limit of one license for every 3,000 municipal residents by 200 municipal residents each year over the course of the next five years until the population limit is one license for every 2,000 municipal residents. This would allow municipalities to issue additional retail consumption licenses.

Committee Categories

Linda Greenstein (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee (on 03/04/2024)

Official Document