Sale of Alcoholic Beverages in Georgetown

The City Council recently held its first public hearing on amending its ordinance concerning the sale of alcoholic beverages to be consistent with a Texas state law passed last year. Public Hearing

House Bill 1545, enacted by the Texas Legislature on May 24, 2019 and signed into law by the Governor on June 15, 2019, reauthorizes the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (“TABC”) for twelve years and changes the number and types of TABC licenses and permits, effective September 1, 2021.

At the Council Workshop on October 22, 2019, Council reviewed and discussed amending Chapter 6.40 of the Code of Ordinance related to the sale of alcoholic beverages in the city limits and determined that a local licensing process is unnecessary to collect local fees and directed staff to review the options available for late night sales of alcohol. The proposed revision includes the changes as enacted by the legislature, eliminates the City's local licensing requirements and clarifies the requirements governing alcohol sales within the city limits.

The table below shows the comparison of the hours allowed now and what could be allowed under state law. Council may consider extending the hours consistent with state law at a later meeting.

Click table to enlarge