Press Release Archives

Announcement: On  May 5, 2017, Chairman Albert J. Matricciani Jr. of the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) announced the Board’s meeting dates for the second quarter of 2017. They are listed below:

  • May – 11th and 18th
  • June – 1st, 15th, and 29th
  • July –  13th, 20th, and 27th
  • August –  3rd, 10th, and 24th

Please note, that the BLLC will hold its quarterly evening hearing on June 15, 2017 from 5pm to 7pm.

Press Release: Board of Liquor License Commissioners (BLLC) receives authorization from the Board of Estimates to accept a $24,000 grant from Behavioral Health System to expand its underage enforcement operations. To read more about it click here.

Announcement: Please see the attached letter of support issued by the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City for SB1122, which is pending before the 2017 Maryland General Assembly. To view the letter, click on this link.

Announcement: Please see the attached letter of support issued by the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City for SB1086, which is pending before the 2017 Maryland General Assembly. To view the letter, click on this link.

Announcement:  The Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) will not be processing new, transfer, or expansion applications during the month of April of 2017. The BLLC will still accept and process Hardship Extension Requests and Requests to Reopen during April of 2017. Starting May 1, 2017 – the beginning of the new license year – the agency shall only accept BLLC 2017-2018 applications submitted to the agency. The agency shall no longer accept and process BLLC 2016-2017 applications starting on May 1, 2017.

Below please see links to the following BLLC 2017-2018 applications:

  • New and Transfer Application [PDF]
  • Financial Form Application [PDF]
  • One Day Application [PDF] 
  • One Day Non-Profit Beer Festival [PDF] 
  • Substitute Application [PDF] 
  • Wine Corkage and Growler Fee Application [PDF]
  • Alcoholic Beverages Delivery Form [PDF]
  • Delivery Registration Form [PDF]
  • Pub Tour Promoter’s Permit [PDF]

Please note that all of these documents are fillable PDF documents. Starting on May 1, 2017 these applications will replace the BLLC 2016-2017 applications on its website and within its office. Lastly, the BLLC will not begin to accept and process BLLC 2017-2018 applications until May 1, 2017. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this announcement, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 410-396-4377

Announcement: Please see the attached letters of support issued by the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City for the following pieces of legislation pending before the 2017 Maryland General Assembly:

Please feel free to view each item when you have an opportunity. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of the enclosed correspondence please feel free to contact Deputy Executive Secretary Thomas R. Akras at [email protected] or at 410-396-4385.

Announcement: On March 1, 2017 the alcoholic beverages license renewal process for the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) begins. As per State law, the license renewal season ends on March 31, 2017. Renewal letters, 2017 Renewal Applications, and a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet have been sent out to all alcoholic beverage licensees. The renewal application, along with the FAQ sheet, and other applicable renewal documents, can be located and downloaded from the BLLC’s Renewal Webpage, which can be found here.

Announcement: On February 16, 2017 the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) issued and implemented the 2017 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Manual. The Board takes seriously its obligation to ensure that the agency’s policies and procedures are replicating best practices and are compliant with the law. This year the BLLC worked in concert with agency staff and the Office of Legislative Audits (OLA) to develop and improve upon the inaugural SOPs that were issued by the Board on July 1, 2016. The Board expanded upon the SOPs from 2016 to include policies and procedures in 2017 that address the following areas:

  • Pub Crawl SOPs
  • Quality Control Inspections for Routine and Compliance Inspections
  • Increased financial controls and reporting
  • SOPs for Wine Tastings, Samplings, and Festivals
  • Postponement SOP
  • Community Engagement SOP

If you would like to see a copy of the 2017 SOPs, please click here.

Announcement: The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for the City of Baltimore is conducting a city-wide hookah enforcement initiative. It is the intent of DHCD to eliminate illegal hookah smoking within any public business in the City.  If DHCD discovers illegal hookah use in a licensed liquor establishment within the City, it will revoke that location’s Use and Occupancy Permit, nullifying its use as a licensed liquor establishment. Please read the letter issued to licensees by Chairman Albert J. Matricciani, Jr. here. 

Announcement: On January 17, 2017 the Board of Liquor License Commissioners issued its first-ever End of Year Report for 2016. The Board highlighted some of the administrative, financial, and operational changes that it made during 2016 and the results achieved from such changes. Please check out a copy of the report here. The BLLC has also created an “BLLC Annual Reports” tab on the main menu of its website so that members of the public will have access to these reports.

Press Release: On January 5, 2017, Chairman Albert J. Matricciani Jr. of the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) announced the Board’s intention to hold at least three public hearings per month during the first quarter of 2017.  Read all about it here. The dates for BLLC hearings for the first quarter of 2017 are below:

•    January: 5th, 19th, 26th   
•    February: 2nd, 9th, 23rd 
•    March: 2nd, 9th, 16th, 30th  
•    April: 13th, 20th, 27th

Press Release: On behalf of the Baltimore City Board of License Liquor Commission (BLLC), we wish you and yours a happy holiday season and New Year.  Thank you for the honor of working with all stakeholders. To read more click here.

Press Release: On December 8, 2016, the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) held its inaugural evening session hearing at City Hall. The purpose of the evening hearing was to ensure an additional opportunity for citizens and other stakeholders to observe and participate in the Board’s work. Read more about it here.

Press Release: On November 29, 2016, the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs held an educational outreach event with licensees within the Latino community. The event was held at the Orleans branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. The purpose of this event was to discuss and answer any questions or concerns from licensees regarding the expectations of ownership and operations. To read more information click here.

Press Release: Starting November 21, 2016 the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) will post BLLC decisions, which will include the Council District where a licensee is located, history of violations, if any, witnesses and other relevant, non-proprietary information, for all public hearings on its public website, which is located at llb.baltimorecity.gov. To view the BLLC’s decisions, please select the hyperlink entitled “Board Decisions” under the Main Menu tab to view summary reports of case proceedings for each day that the Board holds public hearings. You can view a copy of the press release here.

Press Release: The Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC) recently conducted a compliance operation with both State and City agencies to ensure an unlicensed operator could not run an illegal club to the detriment of the communities in Southeast Baltimore.  Read more about it here.

Effective July 1, 2016, the Board of Liquor License Commissioners (BLLC) was empowered by the State legislature to regulate Pub Tours in the City of Baltimore. To that end, the BLLC drafted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet for both the general public and licensees to ensure that all involved parties are aware of the general rules and restrictions governing Pub Tours. You can find a copy of the FAQ sheet here. You can also view a copy of our Pub Tour application and FAQ sheet on our applications webpage here.

Effective July 1, 2016, the Board of Liquor License Commissioners (BLLC) issued and implemented, the first ever Standard Operating Procedures Manual (SOPs) for the agency.  The SOPs, an evolving document, seek to increase transparency, instruct employees in areas of responsibility and streamline agency responsiveness. On August 23, 2016, the BLLC, working in concert with the Office of Legislative Audits (OLA), issued the first updates to the SOPs.