HB210: HB210 Alcoholic beverages; retail dealers; revise provisions

Georgia law currently limits any person from holding a beneficial interest in more than two retail alcoholic beverage dealer licenses. This bill would carve out an exception for counties that collected $750 million or more in tax revenue in the most recent fiscal year, letting a person hold additional licenses beyond the usual two in those counties. The number of extra licenses allowed would increase gradually each year, starting with one extra license before July 1, 2026 and rising to seven extra licenses by July 1, 2032. The bill also updates the rule for moving a retail license to a new location, requiring that if the license being moved is one of these new additional licenses, the new location must stay in the same county as the old one. Separately, it doubles the number of tasting events retail package liquor stores may hold each year, from 52 to 104. The changes would take effect July 1, 2025.

• Creates an exception to the two-license cap so people can hold additional retail alcohol dealer licenses in counties collecting $750 million or more in tax revenue.
• Phases in the number of extra licenses allowed per person, rising from one before July 1, 2026 to seven by July 1, 2032.
• Requires that if an additional retail dealer license moves to a new location, the new location must be in the same county as the old one.
• Doubles the number of tasting events a retail package liquor store may hold per year, from 52 to 104.
• Sets the effective date of the changes as July 1, 2025.

Retail alcoholic beverage dealers and package liquor store owners, especially those operating in or seeking licenses in high tax revenue counties such as Georgia's largest metro counties, plus county and municipal governments that regulate alcohol sales and receive notice of tasting events.

People and businesses that want to hold more than two retail alcohol licenses could expand their holdings in wealthier counties over the coming years, while package liquor stores could host twice as many in-store tastings, giving customers more sampling opportunities and stores more promotional flexibility.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 3-4-21 to allow additional retail dealer licenses beyond the usual two-license limit, but only for locations in counties collecting $750 million or more in tax revenue.
• Section 1 sets a schedule capping the number of additional licenses per person: one before July 1, 2026, rising in steps to seven on and after July 1, 2032.
• Section 1 clarifies that whether a county meets the $750 million threshold is judged at the time of application, not affected by later changes in county tax revenue.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 3-4-21.1 to require that when an additional retail dealer license moves to a new business location, that new location must be in the same county as the old one.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 3-15-2 to raise the annual limit on retail package liquor store tasting events from 52 to 104 per year, keeping existing rules on hours, pours, and notice to local governments.
• Section 4 sets the effective date of the Act as July 1, 2025.

1. 2025-02-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-01-30House Hopper (House)

• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)Primary sponsor
• Kasey Carpenter (R, HD-004)
• Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)
• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Will Wade (R, HD-009)

• alcohol licensing
• liquor stores
• retail alcohol sales
• tasting events
• Georgia alcohol law