Focus Shifts to Next Steps of Livingston Liquor Process

With Livingston voters electing to pass the liquor package store referendum last week, the focus now shifts to the next step.

Zack Blair is the Assistant Director of the Tennessee Alcohol Beverage Commission in Nashville. He said the city now will need to issue certificates of compliance to liquor store applicants to begin the process.

“That certificate of compliance includes a background check,” Blair said, “and [it] ensures the applicants meet the requirements of the city to open a package store.”

Once a certificate is issued to the potential store owner, they must apply for a liquor license through the TABC office.

Blair said the timeline between application and approval for license could take several weeks depending on when applications are submitted.

“It really starts when Livingston issues that certificate of compliance,” Blair said. “It would be dependent on how the city structures that. Some cities take a little while to set up an independent liquor board… to make those determinations.”

Blair said its up to the people of Livingston on how the referendum impacts the city.

“Now they have made that decision, we will step in and be the regulatory body that makes sure those business owners and licensees are acting responsibly,” Blair said.

Applications to the TABC need to be submitted two weeks prior to the Commission’s monthly meetings. The TABC meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month.