Worcester County - Alcoholic Beverages - Temporary To-Go Event Permit and Class C Per Diem Municipal To-Go Beer, Wine, and Liquor License
HB1101 makes targeted changes to Worcester County’s alcoholic beverages laws to create two new local tools for special events. First, it establishes a temporary to-go event permit that can be issued by the Worcester County Board of License Commissioners to holders of certain existing Class B and Class D licenses, allowing beer, wine, or liquor to be sold in approved to-go cups and carried into a designated special event area. Second, it creates a Class C per diem municipal to-go beer, wine, and liquor license that may be issued only to the municipalities of Berlin, Pocomoke City, or Snow Hill, and that authorizes a municipality to allow to-go alcohol sales into a special event area for up to seven consecutive days.
The bill also requires the Board to adopt regulations governing how these permits and licenses operate, including rules on special event area designation, hours of sale, age verification, cup specifications, notice and hearing requirements, and public safety and event security. The temporary permit fee is set at $20 per day, and the municipal per diem license fee is set at $45 per day. The measure applies only in Worcester County and takes effect July 1, 2026.
In practical terms, HB1101 expands the ability of local restaurants, hotels, and other licensed establishments near designated event zones to participate in festival-style alcohol service. It amends several existing Worcester County license provisions so that holders of Class B and Class D beer, beer-and-wine, and beer-wine-liquor licenses may qualify for the new temporary to-go event permit when located within or immediately adjacent to a special event area tied to the municipal per diem license.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported. It passed the House 120-0 and the Senate 46-0, and the final status shows it was approved by the Governor. The unanimous votes suggest little overt opposition in the recorded legislative history, and the committee report was favorable with amendments, indicating the bill was refined but not controversial enough to generate recorded dissent.
The main policy issue is the balance between promoting tourism and special-event commerce in Worcester County and ensuring alcohol control and public safety. The bill’s notable points of structure and potential contention are its limited geographic scope, the restriction of municipal licenses to three named towns, and the requirement that the Board adopt detailed regulations on security, age checks, and event operations. These safeguards likely helped address concerns about off-premises alcohol movement while still allowing local governments and businesses to support special events.
HB1101 amends the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article as it applies only to Worcester County by adding a temporary to-go event permit and a Class C per diem municipal to-go beer, wine, and liquor license. It changes the licensing framework for certain hotels, restaurants, and other licensed premises near designated special event areas, and it authorizes the Worcester County Board of License Commissioners to issue and regulate these new permissions. The bill also creates new fee provisions and directs the Board to adopt implementing regulations, thereby expanding local alcohol service options for special events in Berlin, Pocomoke City, and Snow Hill.
The recorded legislative sentiment was strongly favorable. The bill passed both chambers unanimously, and the committee report was favorable with amendments. That voting pattern suggests broad agreement that the measure was a practical local economic and tourism bill rather than a contentious statewide policy change.
There is no recorded floor or committee opposition in the provided history, so any contention appears limited or resolved before final passage. The most likely areas of concern would have been alcohol control, public safety, and the management of to-go alcohol in public event spaces, which the bill addresses through age-verification, security, notice, and regulation requirements. Another possible point of discussion is the narrow scope of the authority: the permit is limited to establishments near designated special event areas and the municipal license is limited to three named municipalities, which may reflect an effort to balance local flexibility with regulatory caution.