A Practical Guide to PA’s Liquor Code Amendments – Expanded Permits & Possibilities
Not only will Philadelphia host games as a part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but Pittsburgh will host portions of the 2026 NFL Draft, and in anticipation, the Pennsylvania Legislature has taken action to enable state parks to host parts of these types of major sporting events with alcohol service. In addition, the Legislature included several novel changes to the Liquor Code.
New Permit for Major Sporting Event
The new legislation provides for a new type of permit, aptly called the The Liquor Code defines the term "special sporting event" as “a professional sports league draft, all-star game, playoff series or game, collegiate tournament, bowl game, playoff game or an international soccer tournament.” This effectively covers both the 2026 NFL Draft and the 2026 FIFA World Cup and lays the groundwork for Pennsylvania to host additional sporting events in the future.
This new permit allows a public venue licensee to temporarily extend their regularly-licensed premises beyond the public venue premises itself. The additional space could be an outside area immediately adjacent to the public venue, a separate nonadjacent area being used, or both, with permission of the owner, for functions or activities in conjunction with the special sporting event, regardless of distance or any intervening public thoroughfares. This allows the NFL Draft to be held at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) and for Point State Park to participate, as it is only a 10-minute walk across Fort Duquesne Bridge.
The Special Sporting Events Permit allows the sale of alcohol for consumption on the sporting event venue grounds any day of the week between 10 am and 2 am; however, all alcohol must be sold in shatterproof containers, i.e., no glass beer bottles. An interesting feature of this permit class is that, for these events, alcohol manufacturers can offer more sponsorship opportunities. Specifically, a manufacturer may temporarily provide the venue with furniture, equipment, fixtures, and advertising materials with no cost or value restrictions, for purposes of operating under the permit. This provision opens the door for manufacturers who would otherwise be limited to permitted types of legal inducement under Section 4-493 of the Liquor Code, which bars illegal inducements such for anything of value except for advertising novelties such as disposable lighters, bottle or can openers, caps, tee shirts, etc.
New Liquor License Auction Rules
Another update increases the number of restaurant liquor licenses that will be available at auction. Each year, the PLCB hosts an auction for restaurant liquor licenses, and under the new law, if no bids are placed on a restaurant liquor license, the PLCB can add that license to the new Excess License list and hold a statewide auction. The winning bidder may then pay a transfer fee to move the license to any county, pending municipal approval. For example, if there are no bids on a restaurant license in Cameron County and it goes up for a statewide auction, a Carlisle, Cumberland County restaurant could bid on it and, if successful, move it to Cumberland County, where license values can approach a million dollars. The only restrictions are that only two licenses may be transferred to the same county in a year, and each license transferred to that county’s municipality must remain there for five years.
Shortened Time Limit for Notice of Memorials and Repasts
Another change concerns how off-premises catering permits may be used for “end-of-life memorials.” Generally, for the PLCB to issue a catering permit to a licensee, that licensee must give a minimum of seven days' notice to the PLCB and to the local police. HB 467 amended the Liquor Code to shorten this notice requirement to 24 hours if the event is an “end-of-life memorial” for someone who has died within the past seven days. Unfortunately, the legislation did not expand the classes of licenses eligible to apply for a catering permit, so this change affects restaurants, hotels, retail dispensers, and brewpubs only, and breweries, wineries, and distilleries remain ineligible for this permit type.
Common Areas for Alcohol Consumption
The third change expands a brewery’s right to serve other Pennsylvania Products (OPP). Section 449(a)(2) now includes a provision that OPP may now be consumed “at an unlicensed premises that is immediate, abutting, adjacent, or contiguous to the licensed premises, contained within the same building as the licensed premises, and for which shared use has been granted by the owner to no more than three licensees.” This change is beneficial for breweries in the same building that share a beer garden, or for small public markets with breweries, distilleries, or wineries, which can now share a common area.
Expanded Entities Eligible for Special Event Permits
Another change concerns the “Eligible Entities” for a Special Event Permit under Section 1-102. Previously, these applied only to non-profits under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) and (6) that benefited specific categories, such as dog or horse activities for people with special needs, cystic fibrosis research, or conducting a regatta in a city of the second class, etc. Under the new liquor code, all 501(c)(3) or (6) non-profit organizations in a city of the third class in a county of the fifth class qualify (e.g., Lebanon), and any non-profit public TV station that is either a member of the Pennsylvania Public Television Network or a 501(c)(3) or (6) organization qualifies.
These changes to the Liquor Code were finalized on Dec. 22, 2025, when Gov. Shapiro (D-PA) signed H.B. 467 into law. The amendments will take effect within the next 60 days.
For information about national and state liquor law matters or general manufacturing and distribution advice, please contact our Liquor Law, Licensing, Manufacturing, and Distribution Practice Group: Liquor Law Department Chair Theodore J. Zeller III, Esquire; David C. Berger, Esquire, for Pennsylvania and New Jersey retail and manufacturing licensing; Anthony M. Brichta, Esquire, for federal manufacturing, distribution, formula, and labeling issues; Peter G. Manakos, Esquire, for general state and federal licensing questions including TTB filings; or contact our office at (610) 391-1800.