STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Permits municipalities to issue retail liquor licenses for use in certain historic taverns.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning alcoholic beverage licenses and supplementing Title 33 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. For the purposes of this act, "historic tavern" means a building constructed prior to 1920, which is included in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places, and at which the sale and service of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises was the primary and principal business prior to 1920.
b. The governing board or body of any municipality may issue a plenary retail consumption license to a person who is the highest qualified bidder on a historic tavern that has been placed on the abandoned property list pursuant to section 36 of P.L.1996, c.62 (C.55:19-55) and is sold in a special tax sale in accordance with section 24 of P.L.2003, c.210 (C.55:19-101). The governing board or body of any municipality may include as part of the criteria for eligibility to bid on the historic tavern, the bidder's ability to rehabilitate the property and to qualify as a licensee under Title 33 of the Revised Statutes.
c. The holder of a plenary retail consumption license issued pursuant to this section may not sell or transfer the license to another person for use in connection with another premises. A license issued under the provisions of this act shall not be counted in determining the number of licenses under section 2 of P.L.1947, c.94 (C.33:1-12.14).
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill permits a municipality to issue a retail liquor license to sell alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption to the highest qualified bidder to purchase an abandoned historic tavern. The bill defines historic tavern as a building constructed prior to 1920, which is included in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places, and at which the sale and service of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises was the primary and principal business prior to 1920. The provisions of the bill would apply to taverns that were in operation prior to the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which commenced an era in America known as prohibition.
The bill provides that the holder of the retail license is prohibited from transferring the license for use in connection with another premises. A license issued under this bill is not subject to the population limitations that restrict a municipality from issuing more than one plenary retail consumption license for each 3,000 people residing in that municipality.