Pelham's City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve sweeping new restrictions on where future liquor stores can open in the city, requiring them to sit at least 2,500 feet from any other package store and 1,000 feet from homes, schools, daycares, and churches. The ordinance also caps operating hours for new stores at 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to WBMA.
A Two-Week Path From Hearing to Final Vote
The measure, formally designated Ordinance No. 135-272, moved through a public hearing and first reading at the council's October 5 meeting before clearing final approval two weeks later, per the City of Pelham. Beyond the spacing and hours requirements, the ordinance mandates that store windows and doors give police an unobstructed interior view, bans on-premises alcohol consumption, and limits illuminated window signs. The architectural rules also require unobstructed views for law enforcement.
Existing liquor stores in Pelham are grandfathered in as legal nonconforming uses, but the protection isn't permanent. Any store that halts operations for more than 90 consecutive days forfeits that grandfathered status and must meet all the new location rules before reopening, according to the Birmingham News. The rule is meant to protect currently operating businesses while preventing long-abandoned locations from simply restarting under outdated standards.
Modeled on Vape and CBD Retail Rules
City officials began drafting the package store rules following an August 3 council work session, modeling the new land-use requirements in part on Pelham's existing regulations for vape and CBD retailers. The city previously had no specific land-use standards governing package stores, the municipality noted.
Not everyone welcomed the new buffer zones. During the October 5 public hearing, Pelham resident David Coram argued against the 2,500-foot separation requirement, testifying that municipal spacing rules risk, in his words, “picking winners and losers” in the local commercial marketplace, according to Citizen Portal. His comment captured the tension between the city's public-safety goals and concerns about government intervention in competition among local businesses.
State Rules Set the Floor, Pelham Goes Further
Pelham's buffers sit on top of a statewide regulatory baseline. Alabama Administrative Code Regulation 20-X-5-.13 requires all private package stores in the state to maintain at least 500 square feet of floor space reserved exclusively for retail display and sales, per the Alabama Administrative Code. The same regulation and state law bar private package stores from selling general groceries or clothing. Alabama operates as a control state managing wholesale alcohol distribution.
Alabama municipalities have general police powers over alcohol regulation, according to the Alabama League of Municipalities.
Executive Session Preceded Final Zoning Vote by Three Weeks
The council held an executive session on September 28, three weeks before the final vote.
