An Act authorizing the town of Marion to grant an additional license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Kelly Dooner and 1 co-sponsor

Marion may issue one additional off-premises alcohol license to J. Sull Wine, with location-specific limits, transfer restrictions, and renewal conditions.

Purpose and intent

Authorizes the town of Marion to grant an additional license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises.

The license would be issued specifically to C & J Sull LLC, doing business as J. Sull Wine, located at 119 Wareham Road, Unit 105 in Marion.

The act is intended to expand Marion’s capacity to issue licenses beyond what is currently allowed under general Massachusetts alcohol license law, with the new license subject to existing state and local requirements (except as otherwise noted in the bill).

Key provisions and changes

Section 1(a): Grants Marion’s licensing authority the ability to issue one additional license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises (i.e., alcohol for off-premises sale). The license is to be issued to J. Sull Wine (C & J Sull LLC) at the specified Marion address. The license remains subject to all provisions of Chapter 138 except for Section 17, and to all conditions imposed by Marion’s select board.

Section 1(b): The license cannot be transferred to another location. However, it may be granted to a new applicant at the same location if the applicant provides:

a letter from the Department of Revenue, and
a letter from the Department of Unemployment Assistance confirming the license is in good standing and all applicable taxes, fees, and contributions have been paid.

Section 1(c): If the licensee terminates, fails to renew, or if the license is canceled, revoked, or no longer in use, the license must be returned to Marion’s licensing authority with all rights and restrictions. Marion may grant the license to a new applicant at the same location within 3 years under the same conditions; after 3 years, the license dissolves.

Section 1(d): The license must be issued within 1 year of the act’s effective date. If originally granted within that time period, the license may be granted to a new applicant under subsections (b) and (c) thereafter.

Section 2: The act takes effect upon passage.

Who is affected

City/town of Marion licensing authority (local control over the new license).

J. Sull Wine (C & J Sull LLC), the designated recipient of the new off-premises alcohol license.

Potentially affected local businesses and consumers in Marion who may be impacted by the availability of an additional off-premises alcohol license.

State agencies (Department of Revenue and Department of Unemployment Assistance) in the transfer/renewal verification process for this license.

Procedural and timeline aspects

The act grants Marion the authority to issue one additional license, with conditions as described.

The license must be issued within 1 year of the act’s effective date.

Transferability is restricted to the same location; any relocation would require a new licensing process and compliance with state/local requirements.

If the license is returned or becomes unused, Marion has up to 3 years to reissue at the same location; after 3 years, the license dissolves.

The act becomes effective upon passage.

Notes for readers

This bill does not uniformly expand all-off premises licenses across Massachusetts; it authorizes a single, location-specific license for Marion.

The license is targeted to a particular business (J. Sull Wine) and subject to standard licensing framework with added local controls and renewal/transfer rules.

Bill