EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0066*
SENATE BILL 66
A2 4lr0547
(PRE–FILED) CF HB 817
By: Senator Rosapepe
Requested: August 29, 2023
Introduced and read first time: January 10, 2024
Assigned to: Finance
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: February 23, 2024
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Prince George’s County – Alcoholic Beverages – Issuance of License Near a 2
Place of Worship or School 3
FOR the purpose of authorizing the Board of License Commissioners for Prince George’s 4
County to issue an alcoholic beverages license for an establishment that is within 5
certain distances of a place of worship or school building if a license of the same class 6
had been issued and was held by the same person seeking the new license and was 7
in effect for the establishment before the place of worship or school building was 8
built; and generally relating to alcoholic beverages licenses in Prince George’s 9
County. 10
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 12
Section 26–102 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2016 Volume and 2023 Supplement) 15
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16
Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 17
Section 26–1604 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2016 Volume and 2023 Supplement) 20
2 SENATE BILL 66
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2
Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 3
26–102. 4
This title applies only in Prince George’s County. 5
26–1604. 6
(a) This section does not apply to: 7
(1) a holder of a Class B (RT) beer, wine, and liquor license, a Class BH 8
(hotel) license, a Class BLX license, a Class BCE license, a Class B–DD (development 9
district) license, a Class B–TP (theme park) license, a Class B–AE (arts and entertainment) 10
license, or a per diem license; 11
(2) an establishment that is within: 12
(i) the 500–foot restricted distance of a place of worship, if the 13
governing body of the place of worship consents in writing to the issuance of the license and 14
the consent is filed with the license application; or 15
(ii) the 1,000–foot restricted distance of a private kindergarten or 16
nursery school; 17
(3) a renewal or extension of a license issued for an establishment that is 18
within the 500–foot restricted distance of a place of worship or the 1,000–foot restricted 19
distance of a school building; 20
(4) (i) a transfer of a license within 1,000 feet of a place of worship or a 21
school building to another establishment within the same restricted distance; or 22
(ii) an assignee of a license within the same distance of the same 23
place of worship or school building; 24
(5) the issuance of a license for an establishment to which a license of the 25
same class had been issued and was in effect on June 1, 1965; [and] 26
(6) the renewal of a license if a place of worship or school was built within 27
1,000 feet of the establishment after the original issuance of the license; AND 28
(7) THE ISSUANCE OF A LI CENSE FOR AN ESTABLI SHMENT THAT IS 29
WITHIN 500 FEET OF A PLACE OF W ORSHIP OR WITHIN 1,000 FEET OF A SCHOOL 30
BUILDING IF A LICENS E OF THE SAME CLASS HAD BEEN ISSUED AND WAS: 31
SENATE BILL 66 3
(I) HELD BY THE SAME PERSON S EEKING THE NEW LICEN SE; 1
AND 2
(II) IN EFFECT FOR THE ES TABLISHMENT BEFORE T HE PLACE 3
OF WORSHIP OR SCHOOL BUILDING WAS BUILT . 4
(b) (1) Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d) of this section, the Board 5
may not issue a license for an establishment that is within 500 feet of a place of worship or 6
within 1,000 feet of a school building. 7
(2) The distance from an establishment to a place of worship or school is to 8
be measured from the front door or main entrance of the establishment, whichever is 9
nearest the street abutting the site, along the nearest usual pedestrian route to: 10
(i) the closest door that is used as an entrance or exit to the school; 11
or 12
(ii) the main entrance of the place of worship. 13
(c) The restriction on the distance between the location of a school and a licensed 14
premises does not apply to a Class B–ECF/DS license. 15
(d) (1) In the part of the Gateway Arts and Entertainment District located in 16
Hyattsville, as designated by the Secretary of Commerce, the front door or main entrance 17
of an establishment for which a Class D beer and wine license is issued may be used if the 18
door or entrance is at least 350 feet from a place of worship. 19
(2) In College Park, the Board may issue a license for an establishment 20
that is more than 400 feet from a school building if the land on which the establishment is 21
located is in a commercial district. 22
(3) In Laurel, the Board may issue a license for an establishment 23
regardless of its distance from a place of worship. 24
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 25
1, 2024. 26