Pennsylvania Act 2026-8 — LIQUOR CODE - PHILADELPHIA 250 PERMITS, SPECIAL SPORTING EVENT PERMITS FOR PUBLIC VENUE LICENSEES AND LIMITED DISTILLERIES AND DISTILLERIES

Act text

Session of 2026

No. 2026-8

SB 1218

AN ACT

Amending the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), entitled "An act elating to alcoholic liquors, alcohol and malt and brewed beverages; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the laws relating thereto; regulating and restricting the manufacture, purchase, sale, possession, consumption, importation, transportation, furnishing, holding in bond, holding in storage, traffic in and use of alcoholic liquors, alcohol and malt and brewed beverages and the persons engaged or employed therein; defining the powers and duties of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board; providing for the establishment and operation of State liquor stores, for the payment of certain license fees to the respective municipalities and townships, for the abatement of certain nuisances and, in certain cases, for search and seizure without warrant; prescribing penalties and forfeitures; providing for local option, and repealing existing laws," in licenses and regulations and liquor, alcohol and malt and brewed beverages, providing for Philadelphia 250 permits and further providing for special sporting event permits for public venue licensees; and, in distilleries, wineries, bonded warehouses, bailees for hire and transporters for hire, further providing for limited distilleries and distilleries.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. The act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, is amended by adding a section to read:

Section 408.17. Philadelphia 250 Permits.--(a) A restaurant, hotel, retail dispenser, brewery, distillery, limited distillery or limited winery licensee that is located in a city of the first class may apply to the board for a Philadelphia 250 permit subject to the fees, limitations and privileges provided for in this section.

(b) An application for a permit under this section shall:

(1) be filed with the board no less than thirty days prior to the date on which the applicant intends to begin operating under subsection (e);

(2) include an application fee of five hundred dollars ($500), which shall be deposited by the board into The State Stores Fund;

(3) include confirmation that the licensee has completed a specialized program offered by a city of the first class to provide training for nighttime safety for patrons and employees; and

(4) be posted on the board's publicly accessible Internet website, including the name and address of the licensed establishment.

(b.1) An applicant shall post a notice of application for a permit under this section in a conspicuous place on the outside of the premises visible to the public for which the permit is to be used.

(c) The board may not issue a permit under this section if:

(1) A protest is filed with the board by a city of the first class to the issuance of the permit.

(2) The license of an applicant is:

(i) subject to a pending objection by the Director of the Bureau of Licensing or the board under section 470(a.1), until the matter is decided;

(ii) suspended under section 1799.6-E of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as "The Fiscal Code";

(iii) subject to a conditional licensing agreement resulting from renewal proceedings under section 470; or

(iv) subject to a pending license suspension under section 471.

(d) A denial of a permit by the board under subsection (c) shall not be appealable. Any disputes between the city of the first class and an applicant or other interested parties regarding protests filed under subsection (c)(1) shall be resolved between those parties and shall not involve the board.

(e) The following shall apply to a permit granted under this section:

(1) A permit granted under this section shall be valid beginning June 11, 2026, and ending July 20, 2026.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), a permit holder under this section shall be granted a two-hour extension per day on the premises to the operating privileges provided by the underlying license.

(3) Sales for off-premises consumption shall be confined to the times permitted by the underlying license and shall be subject to the same rights and restrictions that are imposed on the underlying license.

(f) A copy of each approved permit shall be made available to the public on the board's publicly accessible Internet website and shall be conspicuously displayed at the place of business, including a display on the front door of the premises.

(g) The board may immediately revoke a permit issued under this section if the licensee holding the permit operates outside the scope of the permit as set forth in this section or otherwise abuses the privileges granted by the permit. The enforcement bureau, a city of the first class or a local law enforcement agency may make a report to the board requesting the revocation of the permit.

(h) This section and permits issued under this section shall expire July 20, 2026.

Section 2. Section 412.1(c) of the act, added December 22, 2025 (P.L.337, No.56), is amended and the section is amended by adding a subsection to read:

Section 412.1. Special Sporting Event Permits for Public Venue Licensees.--* * *

(c) [A] Except as provided for under subsection (c.1), a permit issued under this section shall be valid for a period of no more than six days associated with the special sporting event.

(c.1) Notwithstanding subsection (c), a permit issued in 2026 to a public venue licensee in a city of the first class for an international soccer tournament shall be valid for a period of no more than fifty days in association with the international soccer tournament.

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Section 3. Section 505.4(a) of the act is amended to read:

Section 505.4. Limited Distilleries and Distilleries.--(a) (1) The board may issue a distillery of historical significance license to any distillery which was established prior to January 1, [1875] 1885 . The holder of the license may manufacture and sell liquor produced on the licensed premises to the board, to entities licensed by the board and to the public under such conditions and regulations as the board may enforce. [Production at the distillery of historical significance shall be limited to an amount not to exceed twenty thousand (20,000) gallons per year.] The distillery does not need to establish continuous operation since January 1, [1875] 1885 , in order to qualify for a license under this section.

(2) The board may issue to the holder of a distillery license a distillery of historical significance license in exchange for the distillery license so long as the applicant was established prior to January 1, 1885. The board may not charge a fee for the exchange. An applicant under this subsection must surrender the applicant's distillery license for cancellation prior to the issuance of a distillery of historical significance license.

(3) A holder of a distillery of historical significance license shall be permitted the same rights as governed under a distillery license.

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Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

APPROVED--The 27th day of March, A.D. 2026.

JOSH SHAPIRO