Baltimore City lets eligible restaurants seek daily alcohol sales

The Board may issue a Class 7 microbrewery license to a qualifying Class B-D-7 license holder. The Class B-D-7 license must be for an existing premises in Baltimore City’s 46th alcoholic beverages district. The holder must receive a letter of support from the Ridgely’s Delight Association. The law took effect June 1, 2026.

The Board must create a standard form for required agreements between alcohol license applicants and neighborhood associations. The form is for agreements between alcohol license applicants and local neighborhood associations. Neighborhood associations may add information to the form. When an applicant must submit an agreement, the application is incomplete without it. The Board must establish the form on or before January 1, 2027.

The Board may grant eligible Class D license holders a seven-day alcohol sales privilege and must adopt tiered penalties for license violations. This applies to holders of valid Class D licenses for use in Baltimore City’s 46th alcoholic beverages district. Applicants must get at least 51% of daily receipts from food, sign an agreement with the local association identified by the Board, have no more than 100 seats, and pay a one-time $15,000 fee plus annual renewal fees. The fee must support enforcement of the agreement. The privilege cannot move to a new location, and a new holder must meet the requirements. The Board’s penalties must include revoking the privilege if the licensee violates the agreement three or more times within two years. The law took effect June 1, 2026; it gives no separate start date for applications.

The Board may approve one named license transfer, and three named licenses remain valid through July 1, 2027, for specified purposes. These provisions apply only to the license types, locations, and purposes named in the law. The Board may transfer a Class B-D-7 license from the 700 block of Washington Boulevard for use by an establishment on the 200 block of South High Street. A Class D license for the 800 block of St. Paul Street remains valid to complete an ownership transfer at the same location. A Class B license for the 6500 block of Eastern Avenue remains valid for renewal. A Class B-D-7 license for the 1600 block of Eastern Avenue remains valid for renewal and transfer to a new owner at a premises in the 700 block of Aliceanna Street. The three licenses remain valid through July 1, 2027, only for the stated renewal or transfer purposes.

A licensed establishment may keep and serve donated alcohol at certain nonprofit events. This applies to a licensed establishment on the south side of the unit block of West Pratt Street and alcohol donated by a manufacturer or wholesaler. The event must be rented by a nonprofit, and the licensee must give the Board proof of the nonprofit’s status, serve the alcohol, and remit related taxes. The alcohol may be kept and served only in connection with a single rental contract. This permission lasts through May 31, 2028, and ends after that date.