Minneapolis Liquor License Restriction Lifted

The city’s "7-acre rule" limited liquor licenses to restaurants in a commercial zone, but a repeal of the ordinance last year means that restaurants across the city can now apply to serve liquor.

1 minute read

January 29, 2019, 6:00 AM PST

By Camille Fink


Minneapolis at Night

Acrschmelzer / Wikipedia

Many more Minneapolis restaurants can apply for liquor licenses after a change in the city’s charter. Previously, only restaurants located within a seven-acre commercially zoned area could serve liquor, which limited other establishments to offering only wine and beer to patrons.

Last November, 72 percent of voters supported repeal of the spacing restrictions. City officials report that so far 10 restaurants have applied for licenses and another 60 are eligible. They expect the number of license applications to increase in the spring when liquor licenses are up for renewal.

The change could encourage more restaurants to open in residential parts of the city. Past concerns from residents about liquor licenses have focused mainly on noise and parking, and city leaders want to facilitate community forums to address these issues.

Monday, January 14, 2019 in Star Tribune

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