District of Columbia alcohol laws
What District of Columbia has enacted on alcohol, what each law requires, and what the bills still moving would do. District of Columbia is one of 47 states that enacted an alcohol law in the 2025 and 2026 sessions.
- Bills in scope
- 9bills in scope
- Past committee
- 5past committee
- Most recent action
- 20 October 2026most recent action
Alcohol laws enacted in District of Columbia
5 alcohol laws enacted in the District of Columbia Legislature in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, newest first. Each links to the legislature's own page.
- B 26-0500Streatery Program Endorsements and Protest Process Emergency Amendment Act of 2025Enacted 2 January 2026
What it requires: Beginning January 1, 2026, establishments selling, serving, or permitting consumption of beer, wine, or spirits on a streatery must obtain a streatery endorsement or license from the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board. Applications for streatery, sidewalk café, or summer garden endorsements or licenses must undergo a 45-day public comment period and provide notice and opportunity to protest.
- PR 26-0412Streatery Program Endorsements and Protest Process Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025Enacted 12 December 2025
What it does: Declares an emergency to allow immediate adoption of legislation amending Title 25 of the District of Columbia Official Code to establish streatery endorsements and licenses, require 45-day public comment periods and protest opportunities for streatery, summer garden, and sidewalk café applications, and expand carry-out and delivery license requirements for retailers with commercial street frontage under Washington Convention and Sports Authority jurisdiction.
- PR 26-0256Streatery Program Endorsement Extension and Medical Cannabis Clarification Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025Enacted 11 July 2025
What it does: Declares an emergency to allow the Council to pass the Streatery Program Endorsement Extension and Medical Cannabis Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 after a single reading, enabling continuation of the Streatery Program through December 31, 2025.
What it requires: Licensees operating under on-premises retailer's licenses, manufacturer's licenses with on-site sales and consumption permits, or temporary licenses must register with the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board, pay a minimum registration fee of $100, and provide written notice no later than 3 calendar days before a cultural, sporting, or tourism-related event to extend hours of sales, service, and consumption until 4:00 a.m. and hours of operation to 24 hours daily.
Licensing and retail permits
- PR 26-0151On-Premises and On-Site Extended Hours Program Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2025Enacted 11 April 2025
What it does: Declares an emergency to allow the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board to extend hours of operation, sales, service, and consumption of alcoholic beverages for cultural, sporting, or tourism-related events for registered licensees.
Licensing and retail permits
Alcohol in District of Columbia, by topic
Licensing and retail permits
2 bills, 2 enacted. Enacted in 41 states.
Underage sales and liability
1 bill. Enacted in 16 states.
Alcohol bills in District of Columbia
The bills not yet law, furthest along first, with what each would do.
5Enacted
1Active in committee
3Introduced or inactive
9 bills in scope
Active in committee
1
What it would do: Amends DC noise violation regulations to allow the ABC Board to limit licensee operating hours during application and renewal, redefine noise violations to include sounds audible within 15 feet of residential buildings, establish escalating fines from $1,000 to $10,000, and suspend licenses for fourth or subsequent violations within two years.
Introduced or inactive
3
What it would do: Caps non-economic damages at $500,000 in civil actions for selling alcohol to minors or intoxicated persons, with $50,000 increases every 10 years starting January 1, 2037. Requires the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking to analyze whether minimum liquor liability insurance requirements would decrease premiums for nightlife establishments.
What it would do: Amends DC alcoholic beverage laws to create new license categories including pop-up restaurants and contract brewing, expand hours and sales permissions, allow breweries to open brew pubs in Wards 5, 7, 8, and downtown, waive fees for art galleries in those areas, and ease employment restrictions for returning citizens.
What it would do: Amends the Cashless Retailers Prohibition Act to allow retail establishments with valid on-premises Class C or Class D liquor licenses, and restaurants operating 24 hours daily or at 3:00 am at least 2 days weekly, to refuse cash payments if they display written notice.
Bill titles link to the District of Columbia Legislature's own page.
What counts as alcohol legislation
In scope: Direct-to-consumer shipping and delivery; three-tier, distribution and franchise; licensing and retail permits; excise taxes and fees; hemp and THC beverages; and underage sales and liability.
Questions
Does District of Columbia have an alcohol law?
Yes. District of Columbia enacted 5 alcohol laws in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, among them B 26-0500, PR 26-0412 and PR 26-0256. Each is listed on this page with what it requires.
What does District of Columbia legislate on most in alcohol?
Licensing and retail permits (2 bills) and Underage sales and liability (1 bill).
Are these summaries reviewed by a lawyer?
No. Which bills count as Alcohol bills, and the line on what each law requires or each bill would do, are drafted by software from the bill's own text and not reviewed by an attorney. Every bill links to the legislature's own record: read the text before relying on it. The list covers bills from the 2025 and 2026 sessions.
Other practice areas in District of Columbia
- AI in District of Columbia6
- Cannabis in District of Columbia10
- Cybersecurity in District of Columbia3
- Data Privacy in District of Columbia3
- Employment in District of Columbia1
- Healthcare in District of Columbia9
- Insurance in District of Columbia8
- Rental housing in District of Columbia9
- Transportation in District of Columbia5
- All jurisdictions
Alcohol legislation in other jurisdictions
52 more currently hold bills in this tracker
- Massachusetts153
- Maryland142
- New York118
- New Jersey114
- Mississippi56
- Montana53
- Texas49
- West Virginia48
- Oklahoma44
- Michigan39
- Pennsylvania38
- Iowa36
- Virginia33
- Illinois32
- Missouri32
- California31
- Hawaii30
- Rhode Island27
- South Carolina27
- Connecticut25
- Tennessee25
- Washington25
- Florida24
- Indiana24
- New Hampshire24
- Kentucky20
- Louisiana20
- Maine18
- Alabama17
- Arkansas16
- Delaware16
- Congress16
- Minnesota15
- North Carolina15
- Nebraska15
- Arizona14
- Georgia13
- Idaho13
- Vermont13
- Kansas11
- Colorado10
- New Mexico10
- Oregon10
- Ohio9
- South Dakota9
- Alaska7
- North Dakota6
- Nevada6
- Utah6
- Wisconsin6
- Puerto Rico3
- Wyoming3
Know when District of Columbia's alcohol law changes
An alert when a bill moves, and one report a month on what changed in every state and Congress.