Maine to Hold Agency License Hearings

The Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations announced today that it will be holding Agency license hearings at the Bureau headquarters, 19 Union Street, Suite 301-B, Augusta, Maine on June 6, 2024 at 9:00 AM. The Bureau requires off-premise retailers to hold Agency licenses in order to sell spirits in the state. As Maine is a control state, spirits sales are price-controlled by the Bureau with pre-set margins and growth incentives for retailers. Further, the legislature limits the number of agency licensees that may exist in any given municipality based on municipal population.

The Bureau will be considering applicants in the following municipalities on June 6: Burlington, Camden, Fayette, Kittery, Knox, Mount Chase, Saint Agatha, Scarborough, Waterboro, and Wells. This hearing is the only public opportunity for licensees in those municipalities, the public, and the applicants, to present information to regulators either in favor of or opposed to particular applicants. We expect licensing decisions to follow within 30 days of the hearing.

Of particular note at these hearings will be applications in Scarborough and Wells, two areas of major recent commercial growth, neither of which will have any statutory authorizations for Agency retailers remaining if the Bureau awards licenses in this hearing cycle.

For more information, please see the Bureau’s public notice here.