Berkeley Lake residents may soon be able to get their favorite alcoholic beverages delivered to their doorsteps.
The Berkeley Lake City Council heard the first reading of the law during its Thursday evening meeting, and it will vote on the matter at its next meeting on Feb. 18.
The proposed change to the Gwinnett County city’s alcohol ordinance follows House Bill 879, which lets businesses deliver wine, beer and alcohol to their customers’ homes. Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill into law in August of last year.
By passing the law, the city would help both customers who are avoiding close contact with others and businesses looking to expand their services during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Lois Salter said.
“We have a good many folks who are trying to avoid contact until they can get vaccinations, which are hard for a lot of people to access right now,” Salter said.
While unaware of any Berkeley Lake businesses pushing for a license to deliver alcohol, Salter said she heard a request from a resident hoping to receive alcohol from a Duluth business. However, customers can only receive alcohol deliveries from businesses in their own city.
The cities of Duluth, Alpharetta, Roswell and Sandy Springs all passed laws in November to allow alcohol delivery, and Johns Creek is currently considering it.
Some municipalities require participating businesses to pay an annual fee for delivering alcohol, but Salter said it’s currently unknown whether the council would choose to add one. Berkeley Lake will also consider changing the hours in which alcohol could be sold, but it’s unclear what those hours would be, she said.
“We are just starting this, and I can’t speak to what the final outcome will be or what the rules will be,” Salter said. “We’re trying to put everyone on notice that we are considering this.”
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