A pair of state lawmakers want to make it easier to allow neighborhood restaurants to sell beer, wine and spirits for consumption.

House Reps. Dan Deasy, D-Pittsburgh, and Mindy Fee, R-Manheim, are circulating a co-sponsorship memorandum for legislation they are drafting that will create a limited liquor license that restaurants could afford, without diminishing the value of existing restaurant licenses. The license would be available only in those communities which pass resolutions to support the opportunity for on-premise licenses in their communities. Since these licenses would not be transferable, limited in size and offer alcohol only to patrons while frequenting the business, Fee and Deasy say the new licenses would not compete with the existing liquor license market.

The lawmakers say their bill will limit the number of licenses available each year, as well as limiting the number of licenses available within a county. The legislation would come to an end in five years in an attempt to prevent the state from issuing too many licenses.

“It is not uncommon to read that the price of a restaurant liquor license could sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, making the cost of available licenses affordable to only large, national companies,” Deasy and Fee wrote in their co-sponsorship memorandum. “This has limited the ability of many to open a restaurant within their local communities and neighborhoods. Many of our downtown areas across the Commonwealth would benefit from a local restaurant for its residents.”

The latest changes to the state’s liquor laws took effect in August. Act 86 of 2024 created a ready-to-drink cocktail permit that allows businesses to sell spirits-based canned drinks between 0.5% alcohol beverage by volume to 12.5% alcohol beverage by volume in original containers up to 16 ounces for off-premises consumption (to go). The state also is allowing expanded happy hours for qualifying retail liquor licensees from a maximum of 14 hours per week to 24 hours per week. That means restaurants and bars that qualify can have discounts on food and drinks for more hours each week.