State Liquor Licenses

Significant development is occurring in Community District 2 and the community board is receiving notification of increased numbers of applications to the New York State Liquor Authority. In order to properly consider the applications and treat all applicants equitably, the community board has instituted a review protocol.

There are a wide variety of State licenses for the sale of alcohol. Community Board 2 does not review the great majority of liquor license applications. The community board reviews new licenses for on-premises consumption, except for temporary or one-time licenses. It also reviews applications to alter or upgrade, or in some cases renew, existing on-premises licenses.

 

Community Board Notification

The New York State Alcoholic Beverage Control Law requires that, in connection with the submission of certain types of on-premises alcoholic beverage applications to the State Liquor Authority, the applicant must provide 30-day advance notice that such an application is being submitted to the community board with jurisdiction over the area in which the licensed premises is to be located. NYCityMap, the city's interactive mapping application, may be used to determine what community district a property is located in.

 

Access NYCityMap

Recent legislation directed the State Liquor Authority to develop standardized forms by which an applicant may provide notice to a community board that an alcoholic beverage license will be applied for. Use of the new forms is mandatory.

Read more about the notification requirement and the mandatory forms

 

Review Protocol

The community board's review procedure begins after it receives a complete State notification form. In the case of an application to renew an existing on-premises license, no action will be taken by the community board district office in most cases. It is possible, however, that the applicant may be contacted for additional information or to appear at a committee meeting.

 

If the notification is from an applicant that intends to submit an application for a new on-premises license, or an existing licensee that intends to apply to alter or upgrade its license, a letter is mailed to the sender, which may be the applicant or a representative. The letter notifies the sender the application has been placed on the agenda of the next meeting of the community board's Health, Environment and Social Service Committee. The committee generally meets at 6:00 pm on the first Wednesday of the month.

The applicant, or its representative, is requested to post a notice, enclosed with the letter, that states who the applicant is, the type of establishment planned, the location of the establishment, the type of alcoholic beverages that will be sold if a license is granted, and the date, time and place of the committee meeting.

Download the committee meeting notice (Word)

A liquor license questionnaire is also enclosed with the letter, which must be completed in full prior to the committee meeting. The questionnaire asks for ownership and contact information, the type of application planned to be filed, what license is sought, and the type of establishment. It also requests information about the planned operation including the type and hours of music or other entertainment and whether or not a backyard or sidewalk is proposed to be used. The applicant, or its representative, is requested to bring 10 copies of the completed questionnaire to the meeting.

The applicant, or its representative, is also requested to bring floor plans, photographs of the space, the proposed or final menu, and petitions of support from residents of the building and buildings adjacent to the business premises that clearly indicate the type of license being sought and the type of establishment proposed to be operated.

All requirements noted in the questionnaire must be met, including copies of petitions circulated in the immediate vicinity of the establishment and proof of posting of the notice at the establishment from the time it's received until the committee meeting.

Withdrawn applications will not be automatically tabled until the following month unless the community board district office is notified in advance.