North Carolina HB 198: ABC Omnibus of 2026.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 5
HOUSE BILL 198
Committee Substitute Favorable 3/5/25
Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee Substitute Adopted 5/22/26
Senate Finance Committee Substitute Adopted 6/16/26
Fifth Edition Engrossed 6/18/26

Short Title: ABC Omnibus of 2026. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
February 26, 2025
*H198-v-5*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAWS OF THIS STATE RELATED TO ALCOHOLIC 2
BEVERAGES AND RAFFLES. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
5
PART I. ABC WAREHOUSE LOAN 6
7
ALLOW ABC COMMISSION TO OBTAIN A LOAN FOR A NEW STATE 8
WAREHOUSE 9
SECTION 1.(a) Notwithstanding G.S. 18B-208, the Alcoholic Beverage Control 10
Commission may, with the approval of the Governor, obtain a one-time loan of up to three 11
hundred ten million dollars ($310,000,000) from a financial institution to be used for planning, 12
design, construction, and equipping of a new automated warehouse and associated offices for the 13
Commission, as well as purchasing any real property for the new automated warehouse and 14
associated offices for the Commission, provided that the Commission may not pledge real 15
property owned by the State of North Carolina as collateral. The Commission's obtaining of a 16
loan shall not directly or indirectly or contingently obligate the State to levy or to pledge any 17
form of taxation or to make any appropriation for repayment of the loan. Notwithstanding 18
G.S. 18B-902(g), the Commission shall repay the loan, including interest, from the proceeds of 19
permit fees collected by the Commission. The Commission may prepay any obligation under this 20
section, in whole or in part, without penalty unless the loan agreement expressly provides 21
otherwise. To the extent the proceeds from the fees referenced in this subsection are deemed 22
unappropriated, they are hereby appropriated for the purpose of repaying the loan described in 23
this subsection. For purposes of this section, the term "financial institution" means any banking 24
corporation or trust company, savings and loan association, credit union, insurance company, or 25
related corporation, partnership, foundation, or other institution engaged primarily in lending or 26
investing funds. 27
SECTION 1.(b) This section becomes effective July 1, 2026. 28
29
PART II. ABC TECHNICAL AND CLARIFYING CHANGES 30
31
BROWN-BAGGING TECHNICAL CORRECTION 32
SECTION 2. G.S. 18B-603(d) reads as rewritten: 33

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 198-Fifth Edition
"(d) Mixed Beverage Elections. – If a mixed beverage election is held under 1
G.S. 18B-602(h) and the sale of mixed beverages is approved, the Commission may issue permits 2
to qualified persons and establishments in the jurisdiction that held the election as follows: 3
... 4
(4) The Commission may issue brown-bagging permits for bars, private clubs 5
clubs, and congressionally chartered veterans organizations but may no longer 6
issue and may not renew brown-bagging permits for restaurants, hotels, and 7
community theatres. A restaurant, hotel, or community theatre may not be 8
issued a mixed beverage permit under subdivision (1) until it surrenders its 9
brown-bagging permit. 10
...." 11
12
AIRPORT TECHNICAL CORRECTION 13
SECTION 3. G.S. 18B-300.3 reads as rewritten: 14
"§ 18B-300.3. Possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the security-screened 15
area of airports. 16
(a) During the hours of airport operation, any establishment permitted under subdivision 17
(1), (3), (5), or (10) of G.S. 18B-1000 G.S. 18B-1001 and operating in the Transportation 18
Security Administration-screened portion of an airport may, with the written approval of the 19
airport authority, sell the alcoholic beverages it is permitted to sell for consumption throughout 20
the Transportation Security Administration-screened portion of the establishment's respective 21
airport terminal. 22
(b) An alcoholic beverage served for consumption throughout an establishment's airport 23
terminal shall be served in a container that meets all of the following requirements: 24
(1) The container is not comprised of glass. 25
(2) The container displays, in no less than 12-point font, the statement, "Drink 26
Responsibly – Be 21." 27
(3) The container shall not hold more than 16 fluid ounces. 28
(c) A customer may purchase and consume alcoholic beverages throughout the interior 29
of the Transportation Security Administration-screened portion of the respective airport terminal, 30
provided that the purchase is from an approved establishment permitted under subdivision (1), 31
(3), (5), or (10) of G.S. 18B-1000.G.S. 18B-1001. 32
(d) This section applies only to airports that service airplanes boarding at least 150,000 33
passengers annually." 34
35
CLARIFY PERMISSION TO TAKE MIXED BEVERAGES ONTO PERMITTED 36
PREMISES IN A SOCIAL DISTRICT 37
SECTION 4. G.S. 18B-300.1(f) reads as rewritten: 38
"(f) Limitations on Open Containers. – Except wher