Bill Would Let Jemison Sell Take-Home Draft Beer
Written by Brent Wilson on
March 19, 2026
HB622 would let the Jemison City Council decide whether licensed retailers in the city can sell draft beer for customers to take off the premises.
Rep. Van Smith, R-Billingsley, introduced the bill, which was read for the first time Tuesday and sent to the House Committee on Local Legislation. If lawmakers pass it and it becomes law, the change would take effect immediately.
The bill applies to businesses in Jemison that already hold retail licenses from the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Under the proposal, the City Council could approve draft beer sales for off-site use by passing a resolution.
That approval would cover sales in growlers, kegs, and similar containers. A growler is a refillable container used to carry draft beer from a store or taproom for later consumption elsewhere.
Local bills like HB622 deal with one city or county rather than setting a statewide rule. In this case, the legislation would not require draft beer sales in Jemison. It would give the City Council the authority to allow them within the city if local officials choose to do so.
The bill is written narrowly around retailers licensed by the ABC Board, the state agency that regulates alcohol sales and licensing. Only businesses with the proper retail license could sell draft beer for off-premises use if the city gives its approval.
Current Alabama law allows local alcohol rules to differ from one community to another when the Legislature passes a local act. Bills like this one are commonly used to adjust alcohol sales rules in a single city, including what kinds of containers can be used and whether customers may take beverages away from the business.
HB622 contains two sections. The first gives the Jemison City Council the power to authorize the sale or distribution of draft beer by licensed retailers in the city, including for off-premises consumption in growlers, kegs, or similar containers. The second says the act would become effective immediately once enacted.
Jemison officials would still need to act locally before any sales could begin under the bill. Passage by the Legislature would only create the option; the City Council would have to adopt a resolution authorizing the practice inside the city.
The bill now awaits consideration in the House Committee on Local Legislation. If the committee approves it, HB622 would move to the full House, then to the Senate if it passes there, before going to the governor for a signature or veto.
