St. Mary's County - Alcoholic Beverages - Class A License Quota
Summary
HB476 is a local alcohol licensing bill that applies only to St. Mary’s County. It changes the quota for Class A alcoholic beverages licenses in the county’s 8th election district, increasing the population-to-license ratio there from one license for every 1,350 residents to one license for every 4,000 residents. The bill leaves the quota unchanged for all other election districts in the county, where the existing one-license-per-1,350-residents standard continues to apply.
The bill also keeps in place the rule that license transfers between election districts may not cause either district to exceed its quota, and it directs the Board to use the most recent County Planning Commission annual report to determine population figures for quota compliance. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and amends the Maryland Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article provisions governing St. Mary’s County licensing.
Impact
HB476 amends Section 28-1601 of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article to create a separate Class A license quota for the 8th election district in St. Mary’s County. In practical terms, it makes it possible for that district to have fewer population restrictions per license than the rest of the county, which could affect how many off-sale alcohol licenses may be issued there and how existing licenses may be transferred among districts. The bill does not change the countywide applicability of the title or the general transfer restrictions, but it does alter the local licensing framework for one district.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been noncontroversial and broadly supported. It passed the House 138-0 and the Senate 47-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. No committee transcript or recorded debate was provided, and the voting history suggests the measure was viewed as a routine local adjustment rather than a contentious policy change.
Contention
There is no recorded substantive opposition in the available materials. The only potentially notable issue is the unequal treatment of the 8th election district compared with the rest of St. Mary’s County, since it is assigned a different population threshold for Class A licenses. Any concern would likely center on whether the revised quota appropriately reflects local population and market conditions, but no specific objections, amendments, or opposing arguments are included in the record provided.