2023 North Carolina General Statutes › Chapter 18B - Regulation of Alcoholic Beverages › Article 6 - Elections. › § 18B-603 - Effect of alcoholic beverage elections on issuance of permits.

§ 18B-603. Effect of alcoholic beverage elections on issuance of permits.
(a) Malt Beverage Elections. – If a malt beverage election is held under G.S. 18B-602(a) and the sale of malt beverages is approved, the Commission may issue permits to qualified persons and establishments in the jurisdiction that held the election as follows:
(1) If on-premises sales are approved, the Commission may issue on-premises malt beverage permits.
(2) If off-premises sales are approved, the Commission may issue off-premises malt beverage permits.
(3) If both on-premises and off-premises sales are approved, the Commission may issue both on-premises and off-premises malt beverage permits.
(4) If the kinds of sales described in G.S. 18B-602(a)(4) are approved, the Commission may issue on-premises malt beverage permits to restaurants and hotels only and off-premises malt beverage permits to other permittees.
(b) Unfortified Wine Elections. – If an unfortified wine election is held under G.S. 18B-602(d) and the sale of unfortified wine is approved, the Commission may issue permits to qualified persons and establishments in the jurisdiction that held the election as follows:
(1) If on-premises sales are approved, the Commission may issue on-premises unfortified wine permits.
(2) If off-premises sales are approved, the Commission may issue off-premises unfortified wine permits.
(3) If both on-premises and off-premises sales are approved, the Commission may issue both on-premises and off-premises unfortified wine permits.
(c) ABC Store Elections. – If an ABC store election is held under G.S. 18B-602(g) and the establishment of ABC stores is approved, each of the following shall be authorized in the jurisdiction that held the election:
(1) The jurisdiction that held the election may establish and operate ABC stores in the manner described in Articles 7 and 8.
(2) The Commission may issue on-premises and off-premises fortified wine and unfortified wine permits to qualified persons and establishments in that jurisdiction, regardless of any unfortified wine election or any local act, except that neither on-premises nor off-premises unfortified wine permits may be issued in a jurisdiction if:
a. The jurisdiction approved ABC stores before January 1, 1982;
b. The jurisdiction held an unfortified wine election before January 1, 1982; and
c. In that unfortified wine election, the jurisdiction did not approve either on-premises or off-premises sales of unfortified wine.
(3) The Commission may issue brown-bagging permits to restaurants, hotels, and community theatres in the county in which the election was held, whether the election was held by the county or by a city or other jurisdiction within the county. Brown-bagging permits may not be issued, however, for restaurants, hotels, or community theatres in any jurisdiction in which the sale of mixed beverages has been approved.
(d) Mixed Beverage Elections. – If a mixed beverage election is held under G.S. 18B-602(h) and the sale of mixed beverages is approved, the Commission may issue permits to qualified persons and establishments in the jurisdiction that held the election as follows:
(1) The Commission may issue mixed beverage permits.
(2) Repealed by Session Laws 2022-51, s. 7(a), effective July 7, 2022.
(3) The Commission may issue off-premises malt beverage permits to any establishment that meets the requirements under G.S. 18B-1001(2) in any jurisdiction that has voted to permit the sale of mixed beverages, regardless of any other local act concerning sales of those kinds of alcoholic beverages. The Commission may also issue off-premises unfortified wine permits to any establishment that meets the requirements under G.S. 18B-1001(4) in any jurisdiction that has voted to permit the sale of mixed beverages, regardless of any other local act concerning sales of those kinds of alcoholic beverages.
(3a) The Commission may issue either of the following permits in any jurisdiction that has voted to permit the sale of mixed beverages, regardless of any other local act concerning sales of those kinds of alcoholic beverages:
a. On-premises malt beverage permits to any establishment that meets the requirements of G.S. 18B-1001(1).
b. On-premises unfortified wine permits to any establishment that meets the requirements of G.S. 18B-1001(3).
c. On-premises fortified wine permits to any establishment that meets the requirements of G.S. 18B-1001(5).
(4) The Commission may issue brown-bagging permits for private clubs and congressionally chartered veterans organizations but may no longer issue and may not renew brown-bagging permits for restaurants, hotels, and community theatres. A restaurant, hotel, or community theatre may not be issued a mixed beverage permit under subdivision (1) until it surrenders its brown-bagging permit.
(5) The Commission may continue to issue culinary permits for establishments that do not have mixed beverage permits. An establishment may not be issued a mixed beverage permit under subdivision (1) until it surrenders its culinary permit.
(d1) In any county in which the sale of mixed beverages has been approved in elections in at least three cities that, combined, contain more than two-thirds the total county population as of the most recent federal census, the county board of commissioners may by resolution approve the sale of mixed beverages throughout the county, and the Commission may issue permits as if mixed beverages had been approved in a county election.
(d2) If a county or city holds a mixed beverage election and an ABC store election at the same time and the voters do not approve the establishment of an ABC store, the Commission may issue mixed beverages permits in that county or city.
(e) Mixed Beverages at Airports. – When the sale of mixed beverages has been approved in a city election, the Commission may also issue permits under subsection (d) for qualified establishments outside the city but within the same county, if:
(1) The establishment is on the property of an airport;
(2) The airport is operated by the city or by an airport authority in which the city participates; and
(3) The airport services planes which board at least 150,000 passengers annually.
(f) Permits Not Dependent on Elections. – The Commission may issue the following kinds of permits without approval at an election:
(1) Special occasion permits.
(2) Limited special occasion permits.
(3) Brown-bagging permits for private clubs and congressionally chartered veterans organizations.
(4) Culinary permits, except as restricted by subdivision (d)(5).
(5) Special one-time permits issued under G.S. 18B-1002.
(6) All permits listed in G.S. 18B-1100.
(7) The permits authorized by G.S. 18B-1001(1), (3), (5), and (10) for tourism ABC establishments.
(8) The permits authorized by G.S. 18B-1001(1), (3), (5), and (10) for tourism resorts.
(9) The permits authorized by G.S. 18B-1001(1), (3), (5), and (10) for historic ABC establishments.
(10) Special auction permits issued under G.S. 18B-1002.1.
(f1) Reserved for future codification purposes.
(f2) Permits for Special ABC Areas. – The Commission may issue the permits provided for in G.S. 18B-1001(1), G.S. 18B-1001(2), G.S. 18B-1001(3), G.S. 18B-1001(4), G.S. 18B-1001(5), G.S. 18B-1001(6), and G.S. 18B-1001(10) to qualified persons and establishments located within a Special ABC area as defined in G.S. 18B-101, provided that: (i) if such area is a municipal corporation, the area shall conduct an election authorized by subdivision (a)(4) of G.S. 18B-600, which election may be held regardless of the number of registered voters located within the municipal corporation; or (ii) if such area is unincorporated but has within such area a private association or club, the board of such private association or club shall call and conduct a special meeting at which meeting a majority of private association members, club members, lot and home owners, votes and approves the sale of mixed beverages, and the board certifies the results of such meeting to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.
(g) Miscellaneous. – The definitions in G.S. 18B-1000 shall apply to this section.
(h) Permits Based on Existing Permits. – In any county which borders on the Atlantic Ocean and where (i) the sale of malt beverage on and off premises, the sale of unfortified wine on and off premises, the sale of mixed beverages, and the operation of an ABC system has been allowed in at least six cities in the county, or in any county adjacent to that county in which an ABC system has been allowed, or (ii) the sale of malt beverage on and off premises, the sale of unfortified wine on and off premises, the sale of mixed beverages, and the operation of an ABC system has been allowed in at least eight cities in the county, the Commission may issue permits to sports clubs as defined in G.S. 18B-1000(8) throughout the county.
The Commission may issue the following permits:
(1) On and Off Premises Malt Beverage;
(2) On and Off Premises Unfortified Wine;
(3) On and Off Premises Fortified Wine; or
(4) Mixed Beverages.
The Commission may also issue on-premises malt beverage, unfortified wine, fortified wine and mixed beverages permits to a sports club located in a county adjacent to any county that has approved the sale of mixed beverages pursuant to G.S. 18B-603(d1), if the county in which the sports club is located borders another state and has at least one city that has approved the sale of mixed beverages. Sports clubs holding mixed beverages permits shall purchase their spirituous liquor at the nearest ABC system store that is located in the county.
The Commission may further issue on-premises malt beverage and on-premises unfortified wine permits to a sports club located in a county bordering on another state that is adjacent to any county in which permits were issued pursuant to this subsection prior to August 1, 1993. The sports clubs must be located in the unincorporated areas of a county, in which the sale of malt beverages and unfortified wine is not permitted, and where there are six or more municipalities in that county where the sale of malt beverages and unfortified wine is permitted. (1947, c. 1084, s. 3; 1969, c. 647, s. 2; 1971, c. 872, s. 1; 1981, c. 412, s. 2; c. 589; 1981 (Reg. Sess., 1982), c. 1240; 1983, c. 113, s. 2; 1985, c. 689, s. 7; 1987, c. 136, ss. 5, 6; c. 307, s. 2; c. 443, s. 2; 1989, c. 629, s. 2; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 920, ss. 11, 13; 1993, c. 415, ss. 7-9; 1995, c. 466, s. 5; 1999-456, s. 10; 1999-461, s. 2; 1999-462, ss. 3, 6, 7, 9.; 2000-140, s. 2; 2004-199, s. 9; 2007-402, s. 1; 2017-87, s. 3(a); 2021-150, s. 13.1(b); 2022-44, s. 3(l); 2022-51, s. 7(a), (b).)