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Fargo board discusses 100-foot proximity rule, Target off‑sale application and conditional licenses
Summary
City officials and liquor industry representatives discussed Fargo’s proximity rules, how the city handles licenses that sit unused and a Target off‑sale application that lists a 2027 opening. No action was taken; staff will return the item to the Liquor Control Board for follow-up.
City Auditor Steve Sprague told an informal meeting of the Fargo Liquor Control Board and industry stakeholders that Fargo’s licensing rules include proximity considerations but do not set a single, universal distance for every case.
"There is a proximity clause, but again, the way that I was thinking was that is there something that says you can't be within a mile," Sprague said, and later confirmed the ordinance uses a "hundred foot rule" in section E while also allowing the city commission discretion under section 25-15-08.
The clarification came during wider discussion of conditional licenses and a pending application from Target. The applicant’s form, Sprague said, lists a planned start of operations in 2027, which would leave a license unused for more than two years unless the city imposes conditions. "On their application ... it says that they'll begin operation or start using that license in 2027," Sprague said.
Commissioner Dave Pepporn said Fargo has long allowed licenses to remain inactive for a period while owners finish…
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