Boston Sets Dec. 6 Deadline for First Round of 225 New Liquor License Applications

BOSTON — October 1, 2024 — Boston launches equity-focused rollout of 225 new liquor licenses, with a December 6 application deadline. The City Council's Committee on Small Business and Professional Licensure, chaired by Councilor Brian Worrell, held a hearing Tuesday with administration officials and restaurant industry advocates to shape outreach and implementation for the largest liquor license expansion the city has seen in roughly a decade. Of the 225 licenses, 198 are restricted to 10 historically underserved neighborhoods — Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury, the South End, and West Roxbury — at five per neighborhood per year over three years; 15 go to community spaces; and 12 are unrestricted, transferable all-alcohol licenses valued at $500,000 to $600,000 on the open market but available from the city at no cost. Licensing Board Chair Kathleen Joyce said the board will hold hearings on all applications submitted before December 6 but defer votes until after that date to evaluate the full pool, and will apply new equity criteria asking whether applicants support wealth generation for less-resourced entrepreneurs. Restaurant consultant Nick Korn urged a door-knocking campaign targeting food businesses without liquor licenses and a public dashboard of real-time license availability, warning that distributing equal numbers per neighborhood regardless of existing disparities risks repeating past inequities.