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A1800
ASSEMBLY, No. 1800
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Stanley and Assemblywoman Dunn
SYNOPSIS
���� Allows small private theater used for musical or
theatrical performances to acquire alcoholic beverage retail license.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning alcoholic beverages 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.� As used in this
section, �licensed premises� shall include the premises where musical or
theatrical performances or concerts are held and any adjacent premises owned
and operated by the licensee.
���� b.� It shall be lawful for the
governing board or body of a municipality, upon the approval of the Director of
the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, to issue a plenary retail
consumption license to a private theater entity that is incorporated on the
effective date of this act, which regularly conducts a majority of live musical
or theatrical performances or concerts for which admission is charged.
���� c.� A license issued pursuant
to this section shall be used in connection with a premises with a seating
capacity of less than 400 persons and that is used primarily to conduct live
musical or theatrical performances or concerts. The license shall a private
entity, including a corporation, or its restaurant operator who has been
approved pursuant to procedures established by the Division of Alcoholic
Beverage Control to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed
premises.
���� d.� A license issued under the
provisions of this act shall not be counted in determining the number of
licenses under P.L.1947, c.94 (C.33:1-12.13 et seq.) or under P.L.1968, c.277
(C.40:48-2.40 et seq.).
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.�
STATEMENT
����
���� This bill allows t
he governing body of a municipality,
upon the
approval of the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC),
to issue a plenary retail consumption license for use in connection with a
private theater entity that conducts a majority of live musical or theatrical
performances or concerts.�
���� Under current law, municipalities
are authorized to issue a special plenary retail consumption license, known as
a �theater license,� to a nonprofit corporation which conducts musical or
theatrical performances or concerts on the premises if there is a seating
capacity of 1,000 persons or more. The holder of this special license may only
serve alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises during the
performance, as well as two hours before and two hours after the performance.
���� This bill specifically
authorizes a municipality to issue a plenary retail consumption license to a private
entity that operates a small theater with a seating capacity of less than 400
persons which regularly conducts musical or theatrical performances or concerts
for which admission is charged.� The license would authorize a private entity,
including a corporation, or its restaurant operator who has been approved
pursuant to procedures established by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage
Control to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises.
����
Under
current law, a municipality may issue one plenary retail consumption license
for each 3,000 of its population.� This restriction would not apply to the
holder of a plenary retail consumption license used in connection a small
theater in accordance with the bill�s provisions.