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Council extends alcohol licenses to Dec. 8, clarifies new outdoor amplified‑sound testing rules
Summary
Facing a year-end licensing deadline, the council voted to extend multiple liquor and vending licenses to Dec. 8 or approve them pending full compliance; it also clarified enforcement of a new ordinance requiring qualified sound testing (70 dBC at the property line) before outdoor amplified music may resume.
With the licensing year closing, the East Greenwich Town Council moved to continue and, in many cases, authorize but not issue alcohol licenses pending local and state approvals and required documentation. Clerk Lee Carney listed fully complete applicants to be approved immediately and identified numerous businesses that would be continued to a Dec. 8 public hearing deadline. "Make a motion to extend the licenses and continue the public hearing to December 8 or maybe issued sooner subject to full compliance as determined by the town clerk," Carney read as part of the motion the council adopted.
The meeting featured extended discussion about a new sound ordinance, effective Nov. 30, 2025, that requires outdoor amplified‑sound permits to be backed by testing conducted by a qualified acoustical expert and caps outdoor sound at 70 dBC at the property line. The ordinance was described at the meeting as the product of multiple public hearings and litigation, and staff said the testing must be done using the same or substantially similar equipment that will be used in operation. "Amplified music shall not exceed the maximum permitted decibel sound level at the property line. It also should not exceed 70 DBC at the property line," the clerk read during the discussion.
Council approved renewals for complete applications, authorized continuances and extensions to Dec. 8 for others, and approved case‑by‑case language that allows licenses to be issued sooner if the town clerk certifies full compliance before the Dec. 8 hearing. The council also flagged outdoor amplified sound ancillary licenses for spring 2026 review to allow businesses time to complete required testing before outdoor events resume.
