New Website Coming Soon!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque semper odio vitae mattis porta. Proin ac arcu imperdiet, fringilla odio id, fermentum tellus. Donec vehicula ex in porta porta. Integer varius a ante ut tristique. Aliquam arcu justo, ullamcorper sit amet vestibulum eu, laoreet sed mauris.
The Board of Liquor License Commissioners is an agency of the State responsible for regulating the sale, storage, and distribution of retail alcoholic beverages in Baltimore City.
Announcement: As authorized by the Alcoholic Beverages Article 12-2003(a)(1)(ii) and 12-2004(a)(1)(ii), the holders(s) of a Class "A" Beer & Wine License or a Class "A" Beer, Wine & Liquor License may request a Special Sunday License which allows the license holder(s) to remain open the Sundays that fall between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day. Any Class "A" License holder may apply for these Special Sundays. The establishment may be open between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. only and must conspicuously display the provided Special Sunday License.
Copy of the 2022 Special Sunday License listing
Press Release: On Monday June 6th, the BLLC office will be open and accessible to the public at 1 North Charles St., from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Visitors will enter the building through the lobby and inform the front desk staff that they wish to go to the BLLC offices - building staff will provide access to the elevator to the 15th floor. BLLC staff will be wearing masks and practicing social distancing. ALL visitors are requested to PLEASE wear a mask and practice social distancing in an attempt to protect the health and safety of staff and other visitors. You may continue using daily delivery via courier and United States Postal Service. Also, we continue to offer our secured drop box outside our office entrance.
Press Release: On Friday, April 1st, 2022 the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) announced plans to resume in-person hearings beginning April 28th.
All BLLC Staff will report to the office each business day, starting on Monday, April 4th. Due to staffing limitations and capacity concerns, public access will be by appointment only until the end of renewal season on May 31st.
Announcements will be made in the month of May announcing a general reopening without appointments, provided the COVID-19 pandemic trajectory remains positive.
Hearings will return to City Hall, Room 215, on April 28th for Protest of Renewal cases. Masks will remain required, and attendees will need to adhere to City Hall’s entrance guidelines and policies, including presenting identification.
Copy of the Press Release
Announcement: On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Mayor Brandon M. Scott officially lifted the Baltimore City Indoor Masking Mandate, citing recent data trends relating to COVID-19.
Mayoral Press Release: Baltimore City Masking Order Rescinded
Although the Masking Order will be rescinded, the State of Emergency for Baltimore City, declared on March 19, 2020, will remain in place. The BLLC strongly encourages all of our licensees to continue to be cognizant of the health and safety of the public and their employees.
Announcement: The BLLC would like to announce a that a drop box is now available so that applicants, attorneys, and others are now able to deliver documents to our office. Please note that aside from the Drop Box option, the BLLC office remains closed to the general public.
Guidelines for Drop Box Use:
-The Drop Box is located outside of the office, accessible for public use as permitted into the building and onto the office floor by building security.
-The Drop Box is available from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
-Deposited items and documents should be NO LARGER THAN STANDARD LETTER SIZE.
-All deposited items MUST BE IN A STANDARD LETTER-SIZED ENVELOPE and should contain a clear description of the item(s) contained therein.
-The Drop Box is available for drop off usage only due to health and safety reasons necessitated by the COVID-19 global health pandemic.
-Members of the public who drop off documents should not wait in the elevator area or in the building generally for a response.
-BLLC is not responsible for any loose items or those without an envelope or clear description of their purpose. Any loose or unidentifiable items—including, but not limited to, single checks, money orders, or other negotiable instruments—will be catalogued and marked for destruction.
Please review further guidelines for processing and receipt of Drop Box items in our Standard Operating Procedures 2.26. For any questions, please contact the offices at 410-396-4377.
Press Release: The Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) issued guidance today, June 25th, 2021, to licensed establishments in Baltimore City on the upcoming lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions at the State and City level. Licensees were notified they must come to current status with their liquor license as well as any related licenses, as Governor Hogan terminated his Executive Order suspending deadlines, effective midnight on July 1, 2021. Additionally, licensees in Baltimore City must cease any extra carry out or delivery of alcoholic beverages not already approved under their previously existing license. The special privilege Governor Hogan allowed for sale of “to go” cocktails for carryout or delivery also ends on June 30, 2021, and the normal licensing timelines and activity as set by Maryland Law and the BLLC Rules and Regulations all resume.
Copy of the press release
Copy of the BLLC’s guidance
If you have any questions regarding this guidance, please reach out to the BLLC’s Deputy Executive Secretary, Nicholas Blendy.
See Something Say Something
If you would like to report what you believe to be a liquor board violation, please call 311 to report the matter or call our offices at 410-396-4377 during normal business hours and speak to Chief Inspector John Chrissomallis. Also, note that a Baltimore City Police Department (BCPD) tip line and direct email address has been established for complaints regarding illegal bar activity. You can contact the Vice Unit of the BCPD directly via email or you can call at 443-984-7080.
Addiction Service Access: Do you or someone you know struggle with addiction? Call Baltimore’s 24/7 hotline at 410-433-5175 for help getting treatment. For more information about resources to treat addiction and prevent overdose, please visit the Baltimore City Addiction Website.
POSTPONEMENT requests must be received via e-mail, fax, or regular mail.
All postponement requests must be addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Liquor Board Douglas K. Paige and received in this office NO LATER than Monday, 4:30 pm, of the week of the scheduled hearing.
The Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City was created by Act of the State Legislature after the repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933. Prior to Prohibition, alcoholic beverage licenses were issued directly by the Clerk of what was then referred to as the Court of Common Pleas. There was little intervention on the part of the public, zoning or other authorities, and alcoholic beverage licenses were routinely issued as in the case of Trader's Licenses, marriage licenses, etc.
When the Volstead Act was repealed, it became apparent that appropriate controls and licensing of alcoholic beverages at the retail level were necessary for the State of Maryland to ensure public safety. Boards of Liquor License Commissioners were, therefore, created in all of the political subdivisions in the State of Maryland by an act of the Maryland General Assembly. Passed in 2016, the Alcoholic Beverages Article is the controlling alcoholic beverage statute for the State of Maryland.
There have been many changes in the law since 1933, and at each session of the Maryland General Assembly, new laws and statutes are introduced and passed which affect the operation of alcoholic beverage establishments in Baltimore City and throughout the State of Maryland.
The Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City is an agency of the State. Every two years, the Mayor of Baltimore City and the City Council President, with the advice and consent of the City Senate, appoints three individuals to serve as Commissioners on the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City, one of whom is designated as the Chairman. As a body, the Board administers the statutes, laws, ordinances, and its own Rules and Regulations regarding the operation of alcoholic beverage establishments in Baltimore City. Currently, there are approximately 1,221 alcoholic beverage establishments in Baltimore City which is a reduction from the approximately 2,200 licenses there were in 1968.