For restaurants across the State of Maryland, Spring is liquor license renewal season. As with many things we have all grown accustomed to, however, it looks like the renewal season may be postponed. Late last week, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order extending all state license expiration dates that would have otherwise occurred during […]
Read more...Category: Liquor Licensing
Washington DC Liquor Licensing: The Role of ANCs
For clients of ours applying for liquor licenses in the District of Columbia, especially for the first time, one of the more confusing things is the role of the District’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, or ANCs as they are commonly known. ANCs are quasi-governmental bodies, made up of residents of the District’s neighborhoods, who are tasked […]
Read more...Game Changer? Future of Maryland Liquor License Residency Laws in Doubt
For our clients seeking a liquor license in Maryland, one of the most common hurdles is the legal requirement that at least one of the applicants reside in Maryland or, in many cases, the particular county in which the license is sought. For out-of-state operators, even those from neighboring D.C. and Virginia, we often must […]
Read more...Maryland Liquor Licensing and Choice of Restaurant Lease Entity – Making the Pieces Fit
Here at The Morris Law Firm, we are big advocates of our restaurant clients not doing things piecemeal when it comes to opening their new locations. For example, we think it is big mistake to pick a location, set up a new business entity, negotiate and sign a lease, and then think about liquor licensing. We […]
Read more...LLC or Corporation? How the Choice Can Effect your Maryland Liquor License.
One of the key questions we are often asked by startup restaurant businesses is what type of business entity the founders should form – a corporation or a limited liability company. There are multiple factors that go into the corporation vs. LLC decision, of course — taxation, management, liability protection, investment structure, etc. But […]
Read more...Corruption Case Makes Clear: Prince George’s County Must Do Away With Competitive Liquor Licensing Process
I just finished reading the plea agreement regarding a liquor licensing attorney in Prince George’s County who pleaded guilty to bribery on Friday. The underlying facts were that this attorney made payments to a public official to secure his assistance in influencing liquor licensing decisions. The statement of facts contains verbatim quotes, demonstrating that either […]
Read more...Prince George’s County Liquor Board Seeks 5 New Members, Cancels Upcoming Hearings
The Prince George’s County Liquor Board, which is already down to three members due to the resignation of its chairman (following a guilty plea in a DUI matter) and another member (following a bribery arrest) will get an entire new membership later this year. Pursuant to legislation passed in the recent 2017 Maryland General Assembly, […]
Read more...Big News: Private Liquor Stores May Be Coming to Montgomery County
As we continue our review of the 2017 Maryland legislative session, which ended last week, it is clear that, for those of us in Montgomery County, one of the most consequential – and overlooked – new laws relates to how hard liquor is sold in the County. For the first time since anyone can remember, […]
Read more...New Maryland Law to Cure Liquor Licensing Glitch
We wrote here last year about a glitch in Montgomery County liquor licensing laws that limited individuals to holding one beer & wine license in the county, whereas an individual could hold up to ten beer, wine & liquor licenses. This, of course, made little sense and caused any restaurant with more than one location […]
Read more...How Long Does it Take to Get a Liquor License in Montgomery County?
Just about every day, we get a call from a restaurant owner (or aspiring one) who is interested in opening a restaurant here in Montgomery County, Maryland. One of the questions that we are almost always asked is “how long will it take to get a liquor license?” It is understandable that this is a […]
Read more...