Baltimore County - Alcoholic Beverages Licenses - Transfers and Conversions

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING 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.
*hb1474*

HOUSE BILL 1474
A2 6lr3068

By: Delegate Ebersole Baltimore County Delegation
Introduced and read first time: February 13, 2026
Assigned to: Government, Labor, and Elections
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 9, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Baltimore County – Alcoholic Beverages Licenses – Transfers and Conversions 2

FOR the purpose of repealing certain prohibitions on a transfer to different premises or a 3
conversion to a different class of license that apply to certain alcoholic beverages 4
licenses issued, reissued, or transferred by the Board of License Commissioners for 5
Baltimore County; requiring certain Class B beer, wine, and liquor licenses in 6
existence on a certain date to be converted into certain Class B hotel and restaurant 7
licenses before a certain date; and generally relating to alcoholic beverages licenses 8
in Baltimore County. 9

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 10
Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 11
Section 13–102 and 13–1604(a), (b)(1) and (2), and (e) 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 15
Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 16
Section 13–1604(f) 13–1604(c)(6) and (f) 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19

BY repealing 20
Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 21
Section 13–1705, 13–1706, 13–1707, and 13–1709 22
2 HOUSE BILL 1474

Annotated Code of Maryland 1
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 2

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 3
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 4

Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 5

13–102. 6

This title applies only in Baltimore County. 7

13–1604. 8

(a) In this section, “eligible transferor district” means an election district in which 9
the total number of Class B and Class D licenses, excluding exception licenses, is 10% or 10
greater than the total number of Class B and Class D licenses that are allowed in an 11
election district based on the rule of the Board that limits the total number of licenses 12
available in an election district by population. 13

(b) (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, the Board may 14
approve the transfer of a Class B or Class D license in existence in an eligible transferor 15
district on June 1, 2025, to another election district if: 16

(i) the approval occurs anytime from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2028, 17
both inclusive; and 18

(ii) prior to the transfer, the number of licenses in existence in the 19
election district to which the license is to be transferred is not greater than 25% more than 20
the number of licenses that would otherwise exist in that election district, based on the rule 21
of the Board that limits the total number of licenses available in an election district by 22
population. 23

(2) (i) The Board may not authorize the transfer of more than five Class 24
B or Class D licenses in existence on June 1, 2025, in total under this section. 25

(ii) Not more than two licenses may be transferred under this 26
subsection into any single election district. 27

(c) (6) A [Class B or D license transferred under subsection (b) of this section 28
or a] Class B Service Bar (SB) license issued under this subsection may not thereafter be 29
transferred from the licensed premises or converted to another class of license. 30

(e) (1) When a license is transferred from an eli gible transferor district to 31
another election district under this section, the license does not continue to exist in the 32
eligible transferor district from which it was transferred. 33

HOUSE BILL 1474 3

(2) Subject to the 25% allowance authorized in subsection (b)(1)(ii) of this 1
section, the Board shall consider a license transferred under this section to be a regular 2
license and not an exception license for determining the total number of licenses available 3
in an election district based on the rule of the Board. 4

(f) [(1)] The Board[: 5

(i)] shall convert a Class D license that is transferred from an eligible 6
transferor district to any other election district to a Class B license[; and 7

(ii) may not thereafter transfer the Class B license from the licensed 8
premises or convert the license to another class of license. 9

(2) The Board may not transfer from a licensed premises or convert a 10
license to another class of license: 11

(i) a new license issued by the Board based on an increase in 12
population under the rule of the Board limiting the total number of licenses available by 13
population; or 14

(ii) a license that has been revoked and reissued by the Board]. 15

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the Laws of Maryland read 16
as follows: 17

Article – Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 18

[13–1705. 19

(a) (1) Notwithstanding the license population quota limitations established 20
by the Board and in addition to the licenses authorized for issuance in the county, the Board 21
may authorize the transfer into the Towson Commercial Revitalization District, as defined 22
by the Baltimore County Council, of not more than 10 beer, wine, and liquor (on –sale) 23
licenses that: 24

(i) were issued on or before December 31, 2008; 25

(ii) were in existence in Election District 15 of the county on June 1, 26
2009; and 27

(iii) are valid on the date of transfer. 28

(2) To be transferred under this section, a license: 29

(i) shall be a Class B or a Class D license; and 30

4 HOUSE BILL 1474

(ii) may not be a license that is prohibited from being transferred by 1
statute or regulation. 2

(3) For determining the total number of licenses available in an election 3
district, the Board shall consider a license transferred under this section to be a regular 4
license and not an exception to the population and numerical limitations specified in “Rule 5
19 – Population and Numerical Limitations” of the Rules and Regulations of the Board. 6

(4) On the date of transfer, a license transferred under this section shall be 7
converted into a Class B beer, wine, and liquor (Towson Commercial Revitalization District) 8
license and may not be counted toward any population limit existing in the election district 9
from where it was transferred. 10

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the license issuance 11
requirements, license fee, m inimum square foot area requirement for food and beverage 12
preparation and consumption, and days and hours of sale for a Class B beer, wine, and 13
liquor (Towson Commercial Revitalization District) (on–sale) license are the same as those 14
for a Class B beer, wine, and liquor (on–sale) hotel and restaurant license. 15

(c) (1) A Class B beer, wine, and liquor (Towson Commercial Revitalization 16
District) license may be issued only for a location within the Towson Commercial 17
Revitalization District, as defined by the Baltimore County Council. 18

(2) The license shall be used in conjunction with the operation of a 19
restaurant, as defined in this article and in the regulations of the Board. 20

(3) The restaurant operation shall maintain average daily receipts from 21
the sale of food of at least 60% of the total daily receipts of the restaurant. 22

(4) The seating capacity for the bar area may not exceed 25% of the total 23
seating capacity of the restaurant. 24

(5) Except as provided in subsection (d)(2)(ii) of this section, the area 25
dedicated to the restaurant operation shall have a minimum seating capacity of 100 26
individuals. 27

(6) The hours during which the privileges conferred by the license may be 28
exercised may not exceed the hours during which food is offered for sale. 29

(7) The license does not confer an off–sale privilege. 30

(d) Of the restaurants for which a Class B or Class D license may be transferred 31
and a Class B beer, wine, and liquor (Towson Commercial Revitalization District) license 32
may be issued under subsection (a)(1) of this section, the Board may require that: 33

HOUSE BILL 1474 5

(1) for not more than seven restaurants, applicants for license transfer and 1
issuance demonstrate a minimum capital investment, excluding the costs of the land and 2
building shell, of $500,000; and 3

(2) for not more than three restaurants: 4

(i) applicants for license transfer and issuance demonstrate a 5
capital investment, excluding the costs of the land and building shell, of not less than 6
$50,000 or more than $400,000; and 7

(ii) the area dedicated to the restaurant operation have: 8

1. a maximum seating capacity of 100 individuals, with the 9
seating capacity in the bar area not exceeding 25% of the total seating capacity of the 10
restaurant; and 11

2. a minimum seating capacity of 40 individuals. 12

(e) The Board shall deny an application for transfer of a Class B or Class D license 13
and issuance of a Class B beer, wine, and liquor (Towson Commercial Revitalization 14
District) license if within 2 years immediately preceding the application: 15

(1) (i) the applicant was a holder of an on –sale license within the 16
boundaries of the Towson Commercial Revitalization District; or 17

(ii) there was an on –sale license in existence for the proposed 18
premises of the applicant; and 19

(2) the previous on –sale license was transferred to premises outside the 20
Towson Commercial Revitalization District. 21

(f) A Class B beer, wine, and liquor (Towson Commercial Revitalization District) 22
license issued under this section may not be transferred from the Towson Com mercial 23
Revitalization District or be converted into any other class of license.] 24

[13–1706. 25

(a) (1) Notwithstanding the license population quota limitations established 26
by the Board and in addition to the licenses authorized for issuance in the county, the Board 27
may authorize the transfer into the “Hunt Valley Commercial/Mixed Use Focal Point” as 28
designated in the Hunt Valley/Timonium Master Plan, adopted by the Baltimore County 29
Council on October 19, 1998, of two beer, wine, and liquor (on–sale) retail licenses that: 30

(i) were in existence in Election District 15 on July 1, 2004; and 31

(ii) are valid on the date of transfer. 32

6 HOUSE BILL 1474

(2) A license transferred under this section: 1

(i) may not be a Class A or C license or a license that is prohibited 2
from being transferred by law or local regulation other than crossing district lines; 3

(ii) shall be converted into a Class B (HV) license; and 4

(iii) as of the date of transfer, may not be counted toward any 5
population limit existing in Election District 15. 6

(3) For determining the total number of licenses available in an election 7
district, the Board shall consider a license transferred under this section to be a regular 8
license and not an exception to the population and numerical limitations specified in “Rule 9
19 – Population and Numerical Limitations” of the Rules and Regulations of the Board. 10

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the license issuance 11
requirements, license fee, minimum square foot area requirement for food and beverage 12
preparation and consumption, and days and hours of sale for a Class B (HV) restaurant 13
(on–sale) beer, wine, and liquor license are the same as those provided for in this article 14
and in the regulations of the Board for a Class B beer, wine, and liquor (on–sale) hotel and 15
restaurant license. 16

(c) (1) A Class B (HV) restaurant (on–sale) beer, wine, and liquor retail license 17
may be issued only for a location within the “Hunt Valley Commercial/Mixed Use Focal 18
Point” as designated in the Hunt Valley/Timonium Master Plan, adopted by the Baltimore 19
County Council on October 19, 1998. 20

(2) The license shall be used in conjunction with the operation of a 21
restaurant, as defined in this article and the regulations of the Board. 22

(3) The restaurant operatio n shall maintain average daily receipts from 23
the sale of food of at least 60% of the total daily receipts of the establishment. 24

(4) The total seating capacity for the area dedicated primarily for the 25
consumption of alcoholic beverages may not exceed 25% of the total seating capacity of the 26
establishment. 27

(5) Subject to subsection (d)(5) of this section, the hours during which the 28
privileges conferred by the license may be exercised may not exceed the hours for which 29
food is offered for sale. 30

(d) (1) The Class B (HV) restaurant beer, wine, and liquor license authorizes 31
on–premises consumption. 32

(2) Once issued, the license may not be: 33

HOUSE BILL 1474 7

(i) transferred to a new location other than the original location for 1
which the license was issued; or 2

(ii) converted into any other class of license. 3

(3) Paragraph (2) of this subsection does not prohibit the transfer of 4
ownership of the license. 5

(4) The premises shall comply with all applicable zoning regulations. 6

(5) Alcoholic beverages may be sold in the establishment only until 1:30 7
a.m. 8

(e) The Board may not issue more than a total of three beer, wine, and liquor 9
licenses in the “Hunt Valley Commercial/Mixed Use Focal Point” under the exceptions in 10
“Rule 19 – Population and Numerical Limitations ” of the Rules and Regulations of the 11
Board.] 12

[13–1707. 13

(a) (1) Notwithstanding the license population quota limitations established 14
by the Board and in addition to the licenses authorized for issuance in the county, the Board 15
may authorize the transfer of the number of Class B and Class D beer, wine, and liquor 16
(on–sale) retail licenses in existence in Election District 15 on January 15, 2005, and valid 17
on the date of transfer, in accordance with the following schedule: 18

(i) two to the Quarry at Greenspring, to be known as (QG) licenses, 19
on or after April 1, 2005, located at lots 1 through 9, inclusive, identified on the plat of 20
Greenspring Quarry, areas F, G, and K, dated December 21, 2004, and delivered to the 21
county for recording on December 29, 2004; 22

(ii) three to the area of State –owned land adjacent to and abutting 23
the Owings Mills Metro Station, governed by a master development agreement creating the 24
Metro Center at Owings Mills, to be known as (MCOM) licenses, on or after October 1, 2005; 25
and 26

(iii) three to the Promenade at Catonsville, to be known as (PC) 27
licenses, on or after April 1, 2006, located at and identified by the State Department of 28
Assessments and Taxation map 101, parcels 132, 516, 1088, 1344, 1804, and 1985. 29

(2) A license transferred from Election District 15 under this section: 30

(i) may not be a Class A or Class C license or a license that is 31
prohibited from being transferred by law or local regulation other than the prohibition 32
against crossing district lines; 33

8 HOUSE BILL 1474

(ii) for determining the total number of licenses available in an 1
election district, shall be considered to be a regular license in its new location and not an 2
exception to the population and numerical limitations specified in “Rule 19 – Population 3
and Numerical Limitations” of the Rules and Regulations of the Board; 4

(iii) shall be converted into a Class B (QG), (MCOM), or (PC) license; 5
and 6

(iv) as of the date of transfer, may not be counted toward any 7
population limit existing in Election District 15. 8

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the license issuance and 9
renewal requirements, minimum square foot area requirement for food and beverage 10
preparation and consumption, and days and hours of sale for a Class B (QG), (MCOM), or 11
(PC) restaurant (on –sale) beer, wine, and liquor retail license are the same as those 12
provided for in this article and in the regulations of the Board for a Class B beer, wine, and 13
liquor (on–sale) hotel and restaurant license. 14

(c) (1) A Class B (QG), (MCOM), or (PC) restaurant (on–sale) beer, wine, and 15
liquor retail license may be issued only for a location within the geographic areas identified 16
in subsection (a)(1) of this section. 17

(2) The license shall be used in conjunction with the operation of a 18
restaurant, as defined in this article and the regulations of the Board. 19

(3) The restaurant operation shall maintain average daily receipts from 20
the sale of food of at least 60% of the total daily receipts of the establishment. 21

(4) The total seating capacity for the area dedicated primarily for the 22
consumption of alcoholic beverages may not exceed 25% of the total seating capacity of the 23
establishment. 24

(5) Subject to subsection (d)(5) of this section, the hours during which the 25
privileges conferred by the license may be exercised may not exceed the hours for which 26
food is offered for sale. 27

(d) (1) A Class B (QG), (MCOM), or (PC) restaurant (on –sale) beer, wine, and 28
liquor retail license authorizes on–premises consumption. 29

(2) Once issued, the license may not be: 30

(i) transferred to a new location outside the geographic area, as 31
defined in subsection (a)(1) of this section, for which the license was issued; or 32

(ii) converted into any other class of license. 33

(3) Paragraph (2) of this subsection does not prohibit the transfer of: 34
HOUSE BILL 1474 9

(i) the ownership of a license; or 1

(ii) the location of a licensed establishment within the geographic 2
area as defined in subsection (a)(1) of this section. 3

(4) The premises shall comply with all applicable zoning regulations. 4

(5) Alcoholic beverages may be sold in the establishment only until 1:30 5
a.m.] 6

[13–1709. 7

(a) (1) Notwithstanding any license quota limitation established by the Board 8
and in addition to the licenses authorized for issua nce in the county, the Board may 9
authorize the transfer of one Class B or Class D beer, wine, and liquor license in existence 10
in Election District 15 on January 15, 2016, and valid on the date of transfer, to a location 11
that is: 12

(i) at 2200 York Road and surrounding grounds in Election District 13
8; and 14

(ii) owned by the Maryland State Fair and Agricultural Society, Inc. 15

(2) A license transferred under this section: 16

(i) may not be a license that is prohibited from being transferred by 17
law or Board regulation, other than a prohibition against crossing district lines; 18

(ii) for determining the total number of licenses available in Election 19
District 8, shall be considered to be a regular license and not an exception to the population 20
and numerical limitations specified in “Rule 19 – Population and Numerical Limitations” 21
of the Rules and Regulations of the Board; 22

(iii) shall be converted into a Class B (MSF)(on–sale) beer, wine, and 23
liquor license; and 24

(iv) as of the date of transfer, may not be counted toward any 25
population limit existing in Election District 15. 26

(b) The issuance and renewal requirements, minimum square foot area 27
requirement for food and beverage preparation and consumption, and hours and days of 28
sale for the Class B (MSF) license are the same as those provided for a Class B beer, wine, 29
and liquor (on–sale) hotel and restaurant license. 30

(c) (1) The Class B (MSF) license may not be: 31

10 HOUSE BILL 1474

(i) transferred to a location outside the area for which the license 1
was issued; or 2

(ii) converted into another class of license. 3

(2) The location for the Class B (MSF) license shall comply with all 4
applicable zoning regulations.] 5

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, notwithstanding any license 6
population quota limitation established by the Board of License Commissioners for 7
Baltimore County, the following Class B beer, wine, and liquor licenses in existence on July 8
1, 2026, shall be converted into Class B hotel and restaurant licenses under § 13–902 of the 9
Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article: 10

(1) Class B (Towson Commercial Revitalization District) licenses under § 11
13–1705 of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article; 12

(2) Class B (HV) restaurant (on –sale) licenses under § 13 –1706 of the 13
Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article; 14

(3) Class B (QG), (MCOM), or (PC) restaurant (on –sale) licenses under § 15
13–1707 of the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article; 16

(4) Class B (MSF) (on –sale) licenses under § 13 –1709 of the Alcoholic 17
Beverages and Cannabis Article; 18

(5) Class B (OMTC) (on –sale) licenses established under Chapter 423 of 19
the Acts of the General Assembly of 1996; and 20

(6) Class B (TRD) restaurant (on–sale) licenses established under Chapter 21
365 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2003. 22

SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That Section 2 of this Act shall take 23
effect October 1, 2026. 24

SECTION 2. 5. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That , except as provided in 25
Section 4 of this Act, this Act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 26