Bill Text: NJ S4224 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Permits certain farm-to-table restaurants to acquire plenary retail consumption license.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-14 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S4224 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S4224-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Permits certain farm-to-table restaurants to acquire plenary retail consumption license.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning alcoholic beverage licenses and supplementing Title 33 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The governing board or body of any municipality, upon the approval of the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, may issue a plenary retail consumption license for use in connection with the premises of a farm-to-table restaurant that satisfies the requirements of subsection b. of this section.
b. A license issued pursuant to this section shall be used only in connection with a premises operated as a farm-to-table restaurant that:
(1) produces, on a farm operated by the licensee, at least 50 percent of the agricultural food products directly sold to consumers on the licensed premises;
(2) is designated as a "farm-to-table restaurant" by the Division of Travel and Tourism in the Department of State pursuant to P.L.2018, c.154 (C.34:1A-53.3) or any successor program;
(3) is in compliance with all applicable provisions of the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code pursuant to N.J.A.C.5:23-1.1 et seq.; and
(4) is in compliance with the rules and regulations established by the Department of Health pursuant to N.J.A.C.8:24-1.1 et seq., the State Sanitary Code, and any other applicable law of this State.
If a holder of a license issued pursuant to this section fails to comply with the requirements of this subsection, the license shall be subject to revocation by the issuing authority.
c. A license issued pursuant to this section shall authorize the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises in accordance with the provisions of Title 33 of the Revised Statutes and rules and regulations promulgated by the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
d. A license issued pursuant to this section shall not be subject to any initial or annual fee imposed pursuant to R.S.33:1-12, or to any other fee ordinarily imposed by the issuing authority or the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
e. (1) A license issued pursuant to this section shall not be transferred to another person or to another premises and shall be valid only for use in connection with the premises of the farm-to-table restaurant for which the license was issued.
(2) A license issued under the provisions of this section shall not be counted in determining the number of licenses under P.L.1947, c.94 (C.33:1-12.13 et seq.) or under P.L.1968, c.277 (C.40:48-2.40 et seq.).
f. For the purposes of this section:
"Farm-to-table restaurant" means any retail food establishment, as defined in N.J.A.C.8:24-1.5, that is owned or operated by a commercial farm, as defined in section 3 of P.L.1983, c.31 (C.4:1C-3), that is located on-farm or off-farm premises and sells directly to consumers agricultural food products produced by the farm.
"Licensed premises" means the premises for which a plenary retail consumption license issued pursuant to this section is granted and any adjacent premises operated by the licensee and approved by the issuing authority and the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill permits certain farm-to-table restaurants to acquire a plenary retail consumption license.
Farm-to-table restaurants, under the bill, are retail food establishments owned or operated by a commercial farm that sells agricultural food products directly to consumers from the farm. The restaurant can be located on or off the farm premises.
This bill authorizes the governing body of a municipality, upon approval of the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, to issue a plenary retail consumption license for use in connection with the premises of a farm-to-table restaurant. To qualify, the restaurant is required to produce, on a farm operated by the licensee, at least 50 percent of the agricultural food products directly sold to consumers on the licensed premises. The restaurant is also required to be designated as a "farm-to-table restaurant" by the Division of Travel and Tourism. Additionally, the restaurant is to comply with applicable provisions of the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, the State Sanitary Code, rules and regulations of the Department of Health, and any other applicable law of this State.
The license authorizes the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises in accordance with Title 33 of the Revised Statutes and rules and regulations promulgated by the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The license is not subject to the initial or annual fees ordinarily imposed for plenary retail consumption licenses.
A license issued pursuant to the bill is not transferable to another person or premises and is valid only for use in connection with the farm-to-table restaurant for which it is issued. If the license holder fails to comply with the eligibility requirements established in the bill, the license is subject to revocation by the issuing authority.
Under current law, a municipality may issue one plenary retail consumption license for every 3,000 residents. However, licenses issued under the bill are not counted in determining the number of plenary retail consumption licenses permitted in a municipality.
