Howard County delegation approves bill to let movie theaters sell alcohol (HOCO 2025)

The Howard County delegation voted favorably on a bill to create a movie‑theater alcoholic beverage license. At a February delegation meeting, members approved HOCO 2025 to allow movie theaters in the county to obtain a Class MT license permitting sale of beer, wine and liquor for on‑premises consumption by patrons who have purchased tickets to a showing.

Derek Moriarty, county staff, described the bill as creating “a class MT movie theater … beer, wine, and liquor license” and said the measure would permit the Howard County liquor board to issue the license to a theater owner that holds required training certification. Moriarty told the delegation the board would be authorized to set hours, days of sale and the annual license fee and would be required to adopt regulations to implement the new license.

Moriarty noted similar licenses exist in other Maryland jurisdictions, citing an Anne Arundel County provision and that Montgomery, Prince George’s, Frederick and Washington counties have theater or cinema licensing models that vary in prescriptiveness. The delegation did not amend the language at the meeting.

The bill passed on a roll call with Chair Wu and delegates voting in favor. No abstentions or dissents were recorded in the roll call announced by the clerk.

HOCO 2025 now moves forward as the delegation’s favorable recommendation; the liquor board’s rulemaking and licensing processes would determine how and when individual theaters could begin selling alcohol under the new class license.