Sign Up
HB 121 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Baltimore County - Alcoholic Beverages - Sale for Off-Premises Consumption

HB 121 modifies Baltimore County's rules for restaurants and bars to allow selling mixed drinks in sealed containers for off-premises consumption under specific conditions. It requires the County Board of License Commissioners to adopt regulations first, and permits sales only if purchased with food (not prepackaged snacks), with age verification (21+), and in containers with no straws or holes, sold before 11 p.m. The bill also prohibits the Board from charging extra fees for compliant sales and allows limits on how much alcohol can be sold to one person per transaction. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, directly affecting licensed restaurants and bars in Baltimore County.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Sep 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Sep 8, 2025 Signed May 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Baltimore County - Alcoholic Beverages - Sale for Off-Premises Consumption → Third - Baltimore County - Alcoholic Beverages - Sale for Off-Premises Consumption · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill was updated from its initial filing to its third reading, adding committee approval and floor amendment status while retaining the core policy of allowing restaurants in Baltimore County to sell mixed drinks for off-premise consumption. The substantive rules regarding age limits, identification requirements, and sales hours remain unchanged, though the text was reorganized to align with the official code structure.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains limited to Baltimore County and applies only to Class B or Class D restaurant/bar licenses that already permit on-premise sales.
TECHNICAL

Added procedural metadata including committee report status, floor amendment adoption, and specific reading dates.

Reorganized the bill text to match the official Annotated Code of Maryland format, shifting the effective date clause to a new Section 2.

Included signature lines for the Governor, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 17, 2026 · House of Delegates Mar 10, 2026

How they voted

48–0
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 49
Mar 17, 2026
D Democratic36
36 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican13
12 Yea 1
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
10
Committee
6
Amendments
1
May 26, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 815
executive
Apr 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
Returned Passed
lower
Apr 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Mar 31, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Finance
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Committee
Referred Finance
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Mar 21, 2026
Introduced
Floor Amendment {
lower
Mar 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Adopted
lower
Mar 21, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (48-0-1)
senate
Mar 10, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (136-0-6)
house of delegates
Jan 14, 2026
Committee
First Reading Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Sep 8, 2025
Introduced
Pre-filed
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.