---
title: HB 210. Alcoholic beverages; retail dealers; revise provisions
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb210
cite_as: HB 210, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb210
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb210.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb210/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69725
date: 2025-02-04
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb210.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 210
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-01-30
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Tyler Smith
- Kasey Carpenter
- Leesa Hagan
- Lehman Franklin
- Charles Cannon
- Will Wade
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB210/2025
upstream_id: 1949632
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- alcoholic beverages
- retail liquor licensing
- tasting events
- county tax revenue
---
# HB 210. Alcoholic beverages; retail dealers; revise provisions
## Text
House Bill 210
By: Representatives Smith of the 18th, Carpenter of the 4th, Hagan of the 156th, Franklin of
the 160th, Cannon of the 172nd, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Title 3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to alcoholic beverages,
so as to revise provisions relating to retail dealers of alcoholic beverages; to authorize the
issuance or holding of a beneficial interest in additional retail dealer licenses; to require that
the new location of a licensee of such additional retail dealer license be located in the same
county as the location previously occupied; to increase the number of tasting events a retail
package liquor store may conduct; to provide an effective date; to provide for related matters;
to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Title 3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to alcoholic beverages is amended
by revising Code Section 3-4-21, relating to prohibition of holding or having beneficial
interest in more than two retail dealer licenses, as follows:
"3-4-21.
(a)(1) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (d) of this Code section, no No person
shall be issued or have a beneficial interest in, regardless of the degree of such interest,
more than two retail dealer licenses, nor shall any person be permitted to have a
beneficial interest in more than two retail dealer licenses issued under this chapter,
regardless of the degree of such interest.
(b)(1) In addition to the two retail dealer licenses that a person may be issued or have a
beneficial interest in pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section and subject to the
limitations provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, a person may be issued or have
a beneficial interest in additional retail dealer licenses provided that the place of business
in connection with each such additional retail dealer license is located in a county that,
as of the most recent fiscal year, collected $750 million or more in tax revenue. For
purposes of this paragraph, the determination of whether a county has, as of the most
recent fiscal year, collected $750 million or more in tax revenue shall be made at the time
a person applies for such additional retail dealer license or at the time a person obtains
a beneficial interest in such additional retail dealer license and such additional retail
dealer license shall not be impacted by the amount of tax revenue collected by such
county in future fiscal years.
(2) The number of additional retail dealer licenses that a person may be issued or have
a beneficial interest in pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be as follows:
(A) Prior to July 1, 2026, no person shall be issued more than one such additional retail
dealer license;
(B) Prior to July 1, 2027, no person shall be issued or have a beneficial interest in more
than two such additional retail dealer licenses;
(C) Prior to July 1, 2028, no person shall be issued or have a beneficial interest in more
than three such additional retail dealer licenses;
(D) Prior to July 1, 2029, no person shall be issued or have a beneficial interest in more
than four such additional retail dealer licenses;
(E) Prior to July 1, 2030, no person shall be issued or have a beneficial interest in more
than five such additional retail dealer licenses;
(F) Prior to July 1, 2031, no person shall be issued or have a beneficial interest in more
than six such additional retail dealer licenses; and
(G) On and after July 1, 2032, no person shall be issued or have a beneficial interest
in more than seven such additional retail dealer licenses.
(b)(c) As used in For purposes of this Code section:
(1) The term 'person' shall include all members of a retail dealer licensee's family; and
the term 'family' shall include any person related to the holder of the license within the
first degree of consanguinity and affinity as computed according to the canon law.
(2) The beneficiaries of a trust shall be considered to have a beneficial interest in any
business forming a part of the trust estate.
(c)(d) Nothing contained in this Code section shall prohibit the reissuance of a valid retail
dealer license if the license has been:
(1) Held prior to the creation of any of the above relationships by marriage; or
(2) Held prior to April 3, 1978."
SECTION 2.
Said title is further amended by revising Code Section 3-4-21.1, relating to requirement for
retail license and application of existing license to new location, as follows:
"3-4-21.1.
(a) A separate retail license shall be required for each place of business.
(b) In cases where a retail licensee is moving his their package sales business to a different
location, he such licensee shall be authorized to make application to have the license for
the location previously occupied apply to the new location. Anything contained in Code
Section 3-4-21 to the contrary notwithstanding, if the retail licensee complies with all other
requirements of law, the commissioner shall authorize the existing license to apply to the
new location; provided, however, that, if the retail license in connection with the location
previously occupied is an additional retail dealer license issued pursuant to paragraph (1)
of subsection (b) of Code Section 3-4-21, such license shall only apply to the new location
if the new location is located in the same county as the location previously occupied."
SECTION 3.
Said title is further amended by revising Code Section 3-15-2, relating to terms and
conditions for limited tasting events, as follows:
"3-15-2.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, in all counties and municipalities in which
the sale of alcoholic beverages is lawful, retail package liquor stores shall be authorized to
conduct up to 52 104 tasting events per calendar year, subject to the following terms and
conditions:
(1) A tasting event shall only take place on the licensed premises and only at times at
which such alcoholic beverages may be lawfully sold on such licensed premises;
(2) Only one tasting event per day may be held on the licensed premises and such tasting
event shall not exceed four hours;
(3) Only one type of alcoholic beverage may be served at a tasting event, either malt
beverages, wine, or distilled spirits; provided, however, that more than one brand of such
type of alcoholic beverage may be offered so long as not more than four packages are
open at any one time;
(4) If the tasting event is for malt beverages, a consumer shall not be served more than
eight ounces of malt beverages during such tasting event. If the tasting event is for wine,
a consumer shall not be served more than five ounces of wine during such tasting event.
If the tasting event is for distilled spirits, a consumer shall not be served more than one
and one-half ounces of distilled spirits during such tasting event;
(5) Only alcoholic beverages that the licensee is licensed to sell on the licensed premises
may be offered as part of a tasting event, and such alcoholic beverages shall be part of the
licensee's inventory;
(6) Only food that is lawful to sell on the licensed premises, under this title or under any
rules or regulations of the commissioner, may be served as part of a tasting event. Such
food shall be offered at no cost to the consumer;
(7) Any operator or employee of the licensee may refuse to provide any brand, type, or
quantity of alcoholic beverage to any consumer;
(8) The licensee shall notify the governing authority of the county or municipality in
which the licensed premises is located prior to holding a tasting event;
(9) Any broken package containing alcoholic beverages on the licensed premises that is
not licensed for retail sales for consumption on the premises shall be kept locked in a
secure room or cabinet by the operator of the licensed premises except when in use
during a tasting event;
(10) Representatives and salespersons of manufacturers or wholesalers may attend a
tasting event; provided, however, that such representatives and salespersons shall not host
the tasting event, pour any alcoholic beverage, or provide anything of value to any
consumer or to the licensee or an employee of a licensee; and
(11) Any other terms, conditions, and limitations as may be required or imposed by the
governing authority of the county or municipality in which the licensed premises is
located."
SECTION 4.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2025.
SECTION 5.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 210 would let people hold beneficial interests in more than two retail alcohol dealer licenses in Georgia's highest tax-revenue counties, phased in through 2032, and would double the number of tasting events liquor stores can hold each year.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law currently caps most people at holding or having a beneficial interest in no more than two retail alcohol dealer licenses. This bill creates an exception: in any county that collected $750 million or more in tax revenue in the most recent fiscal year, a person could hold additional licenses beyond the normal two, with the allowed number phased in over time, starting at one extra license before July 1, 2026 and rising to five extra licenses by July 1, 2032.
The bill also changes the rule for moving a license to a new location. 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, the bill doubles the number of tasting events a retail package liquor store may hold each year, from 52 to 104, while keeping existing rules on hours, pour sizes, and notification to local governments. The changes would take effect July 1, 2025.
### What it does
- Creates a new category of additional retail alcohol dealer licenses that a person can hold beyond the current two-license cap, limited to counties with $750 million or more in annual tax revenue.
- Phases in the number of extra licenses allowed per person, rising from one before July 1, 2026 to five by July 1, 2032.
- Requires that if a business holding one of these additional licenses relocates, the new location must be in the same county as the old one.
- Doubles the annual limit on tasting events a retail package liquor store may hold, from 52 to 104 per calendar year.
- Updates gendered pronoun language in the retail license relocation statute (O.C.G.A. § 3-4-21.1) from 'he'/'his' to 'they'/'their'.
### Who it affects
Retail liquor, wine, and beer dealers and their license holders, especially those operating or seeking to expand in Georgia's wealthiest, highest tax-revenue counties, along with county and municipal governments that oversee local alcohol sales and receive notice of tasting events.
### Why it matters
Retailers in high-revenue counties could expand their footprint by holding more licenses than currently allowed, potentially changing local market competition, while the same-county relocation rule would limit how freely those expanded license holders could move locations. More tasting events could also increase consumer sampling opportunities at liquor stores statewide.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 3-4-21 to allow additional retail dealer licenses beyond the standard two-license cap for locations in counties collecting $750 million or more in tax revenue in the most recent fiscal year.
- Section 1 sets a schedule capping additional licenses per person at one before July 1, 2026, rising incrementally to seven or more on and after July 1, 2032.
- Section 1 clarifies that a county's tax revenue qualification is locked in at the time of application or acquisition and is not affected by later drops in county revenue.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 3-4-21.1 to require that if an additional retail dealer license is transferred to a new location, that location must be in the same county as the one previously occupied.
- Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 3-15-2 to raise the annual cap on retail package liquor store tasting events from 52 to 104 per year.
- Section 4 sets the effective date of the Act as July 1, 2025.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-01-30)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-04)
- Sponsors: Tyler Smith, Kasey Carpenter, Leesa Hagan, Lehman Franklin, Charles Cannon, Will Wade
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69725
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb210.md?full=1