Anne Arundel County - Alcoholic Beverages Licenses - Class C Per Diem License Fees
Summary
HB522 changes the fee structure for certain Class C per diem alcoholic beverages licenses issued by the Anne Arundel County Board of License Commissioners. Under current law, the daily fee for a Class C per diem beer license, beer and wine license, or beer, wine, and liquor license is set on a per-day basis. The bill keeps the existing daily fees for smaller events with fewer than 500 expected attendees, but adds a new pricing tier for events with 500 or more expected attendees.
For larger events, the bill requires the fee to be charged per point of sale location that serves alcohol, rather than as a single flat daily fee. Specifically, the fee remains $25 per day for beer and beer-and-wine licenses and $50 per day for beer, wine, and liquor licenses at smaller events, but becomes $25 or $50 per point of sale per day for larger events depending on the license type. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Impact
The bill amends Section 11-1311 of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article, which applies only in Anne Arundel County, and it does not alter the statewide applicability provision in Section 11-102. Its practical effect is to change how license fees are calculated for temporary alcohol service at larger events in Anne Arundel County, likely increasing fees for events with multiple alcohol service locations and aligning charges more closely with the number of sales points operating at an event.
Sentiment
The available legislative history suggests the bill was noncontroversial and broadly supported. It received favorable committee action and passed the House and Senate unanimously, with 126-0 and 46-0 votes on third reading. No committee transcript or recorded debate is available in the provided materials, but the unanimous votes indicate strong consensus around the fee adjustment.
Contention
No specific opposition is reflected in the provided record. The only likely point of policy interest is the new distinction between smaller events and events with 500 or more attendees, because larger events with multiple alcohol service locations may face higher total fees under the per-point-of-sale structure. Any concern would likely come from event organizers, license holders, or venue operators affected by the revised fee calculation, while county licensing authorities and supporters of the change would favor the more tailored fee schedule.