Prince George's County - Alcoholic Beverages - Wine Festival Licenses PG 316-26
Summary
HB558 revises Prince George’s County’s wine festival licensing law. The bill repeals the current limit of one wine festival license per year and removes the prohibition on holding the festival in the 24th Legislative District. It keeps the basic structure of the license in place, including who may receive it, what wine may be sold, and the requirement that the event focus primarily on Maryland wine.
Under the bill, the Prince George’s County Board of License Commissioners may issue wine festival licenses without the prior annual cap and may select weekend dates for wine festivals each year, subject to the same timing restrictions that avoid conflicts with the Maryland Wine Festival in Carroll County and several other county beer-and-wine or wine festivals. The bill also preserves the Board’s authority to set the fee and adopt regulations, and it continues to allow the sale of wine for on-premises and off-premises consumption during designated festival hours.
Impact
HB558 amends Title 26 of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article as it applies only to Prince George’s County. It removes two local restrictions: the one-license-per-year cap and the ban on locating the festival in the 24th Legislative District. As a result, the county board gains greater flexibility to authorize multiple wine festival events and to choose eligible locations within the county, while the rest of the licensing framework remains intact for retailers, Class 3 wineries, and Class 4 limited wineries.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received favorably overall. The committee report was favorable with amendments, the House adopted the bill, and both chambers passed it unanimously on third reading, indicating broad support and little visible opposition. The available record suggests the measure was viewed as a local licensing adjustment rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main policy change is the removal of limits on how many wine festival licenses may be issued and where the festival may be held, which could raise concerns about event concentration, local impacts, or competition with existing festivals. However, no committee transcript is available showing active debate, and the unanimous floor votes suggest any concerns were either resolved through amendments or were not significant enough to generate opposition. The remaining timing and location safeguards indicate an effort to balance expanded flexibility with coordination among regional alcohol-related festivals.