Lawmakers OK 'bars on wheels,' downtown drinking areas, online liquor sales

State lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation that loosens an array of regulations covering the sale and consumption of alcohol in North Carolina.

Posted 6:12 p.m. Sep 8, 2021 — Updated 11:19 p.m. Sep 8, 2021

Matthew Burns

, WRAL.com senior producer/politics editor, & Laura Leslie, WRAL Capitol Bureau chief

RALEIGH, N.C. — State lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation that loosens an array of regulations covering the sale and consumption of alcohol in North Carolina.

The Senate passed House Bill 890 on a 35-7 vote with little debate on Wednesday, sending it back to the House for a final vote. There, House members had no debate at all before voting 95-8 in favor of the bill, sending it to Gov. Roy Cooper.

The bill is an everything-including-the-kitchen-sink compilation of alcohol-related proposals that have been considered as standalone bills in recent years, along with some new provisions.

Among other changes, House Bill 890 would do the following:

Allow people to place online orders for liquor at Alcoholic Beverage Control stores that they could then pick up in person
Expand the legal size of growlers from 2 liters to 4 liters
Loosen the rules on distilleries and wineries that sell their products to tourists, including allowing Sunday sales, when ABC stores are closed
Allow fans at college sporting events to buy two drinks at a time
Allow cities and towns to create "social districts" where people can walk about with alcoholic beverages from nearby restaurants and bars
Establish rules for ice cream, popsicle or gelatin products containing alcohol
Allow charter buses that travel at least 75 miles to serve alcohol, an idea one critic called "bars on wheels"

Sen. Todd Johnson, R-Union, characterized the overall proposal as "support for the small businesses of North Carolina."

Sen. Jim Burgin, R-Harnett, voiced the only opposition to the bill in either chamber Wednesday. Alcohol use in North Carolina jumped by 41 percent last year, he said, and the bill would allow even more drinking.

"One of my big concerns is that it is going to allow open containers in a lot of places that people take their families," Burgin said.

Johnson said after the vote that he trusts people to take personal responsibility for their own decisions.

"It's not my place to tell people what they can do," he said. "I'm about personal responsibility, freedom of choice, free market capitalism, and that's a good thing. So, I trust the citizens of North Carolina to make responsible decisions and let them decide what’s best for their own personal lives."

"I think the help that we gave to small businesses is important," he added. "We've got a blossoming industry here in North Carolina."

Niegel Sullivan, general manager of the Durham County ABC Board, called online sales "a way to be innovative for our customers and offer good customer service, while continuing to safely sell spiritous liquor."

"I think people should be given all the options and the freedom to choose if they want to go online," said Robert Ostrow, of Durham. "That's a great thing that's come out of COVID during the pandemic is another way to sell for folks."

WRAL anchor/reporter Chris Lovingood contributed to this report.

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