Most, if not all, Maryland jurisdictions have historically had a residency requirement to the issuance of liquor licenses. In June of 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas, found that a Tennessee law which imposed resident requirements on liquor licensing applicants violated the Commerce Clause by discriminating against nonresident economic actors. The court held that a two year residency requirement favored Tennesseans over out of state persons and was not narrowly tailored to advance a legitimate local purpose. In response to this Supreme Court decision, the Howard County Board of License Commissioners announced that it will no longer require that one applicant on a license be a Howard County resident.
Work With BTLG, Attorneys at Law for All of Your Business Law Needs
BTLG was founded in 2000 to address the legal needs of businesses in the Baltimore region. Since our founding, we’ve helped over 1500 clients in the Mid-Atlantic across a wide array of industries. No matter what your business may need, our team of law experts can work with you to provide the best legal counsel and services. Contact us today by calling (410) 290-0707 or fill out our Contact form and we’ll reach out as soon as possible. And don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn for more news and expert insights surrounding the world of business law.