Alcohol Sales Licenses

Your local municipality can protect public health by regulating the number, location, type and density of alcohol outlets.

Number of Licenses

Restricting the number and density of alcohol outlets is one way you can reduce alcohol problems. Research has shown that fewer outlets per capita or per square mile can result in reductions in consumption and related problems.

Neighborhoods that are characterized by extremely high outlet densities may experience a variety of problems resulting from the presence of the outlets themselves, only partially related to levels of consumption. There is evidence that high alcohol outlet density contributes to increased crime and violence, youth violence, homicide, and other public nuisance and illegal activities.

Think of alcohol outlet density in terms of:

• geographical density—the number of outlets in a specific land area such as a census tract, etc.;
• economic density—the number of outlets as a percentage of other commercial settings in a geographical area; or
• population density—the number of outlets in relation to number of persons in the specific land area.

You and residents of your community can influence your local government’s planning policy in order to restrict the numbers of alcohol outlets. Your neighborhood group can write its own specific plan, spelling out what type of commercial and residential mix is desired, including the number and types of alcohol outlets your group deems appropriate. Other options include raising concerns in public forums about numbers of outlets, pushing for moratoriums on new licenses, reduction in overall density of alcohol outlets, and passing local ordinances.

Type of Licenses

Generally there are two broad categories of alcohol licenses. On-sale licenses are for businesses such as bars and restaurants that sell alcohol for consumption on the premises. Off-sale licenses are businesses such as grocery stores, liquor stores, convenience stores and corner markets that sell alcohol for consumption off site. One-day licenses are for the sale of alcohol at special events.

Location of Licenses

Local governments may use various guidelines to determine the appropriateness of an alcohol license in an application’s proposed land-use environment. They may consider restrictions on location, based on proximity of the proposed license to schools, churches, hospitals, residences and playgrounds. They may also consider the current density of alcohol licenses in the area of the application, whether it would create traffic problems, whether it is a high crime area, and whether it might contribute to law enforcement problems.

Local jurisdictions can pass ordinances to put distance limits on new alcohol licenses, such as having no new license within 1,000 feet of an existing license. Alcohol may be prohibited by local ordinance in public parks, at beaches or by rules about public locations such as sports arenas and community centers.