Change In Municipal Approval Process For Liquor Commission Requests

As informally announced at the February 2012 Administrative Law Luncheon, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (Commission) has recently issued an official notice about the "local approval" part of the liquor license application process. Effective April 1, 2012, the Commission is changing its procedure to obtain approvals – the Commission will require all applicants for licenses to submit to the Commission required approvals from the local municipality or the local law enforcement agency.

Previously, when an applicant for a license submitted an application to the Commission, the Commission would send requests for local approvals directly to the local municipalities. But under this change, the Commission now requires applicants to directly submit requests for these local approvals to the local unit of government or local law enforcement agency before the Commission will review or consider a license application. The Commission will not send requests directly to the local municipality anymore.

Given the new make-up of the Commission, we expect that this change is just one of many changes that may come down the pipeline as to the way the Commission handles liquor license-related requests.

If you have any questions about handling a liquor license request for local approval, or liquor license-related matters, feel free to contact Anne Seurynck (616.726.2240) of the Foster Swift Municipal Practice Group.

• Read the full April 2012 Municipal Law News