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SB 400 Maryland Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Anne Arundel County - Alcoholic Beverages - Entertainment Permits

SB 400 updates Anne Arundel County's rules for entertainment permits at businesses serving alcohol. It creates three permit types: "Background" (allowing only background music/TV), "General" (adding live music with ≤4 musicians and karaoke), and "Full" (permitting dancing, stages, and floor shows). The bill requires outdoor events under any permit to stay at least 100 feet from residential zones, and "Full" permits near schools/worship sites must maintain a 1,000-foot buffer. Annual fees range from $100 (Background) to $400 (Full for beer/wine/liquor licenses), effective July 1, 2026.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Jan 28, 2026 Signed May 26, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Anne Arundel County - Alcoholic Beverages - Entertainment Permits → Third - Anne Arundel County - Alcoholic Beverages - Entertainment Permits · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to restructure the entertainment permit system by renumbering sections and clarifying the hierarchy between background, general, and full entertainment permits. The changes primarily involve formatting updates and reorganization of existing rules rather than introducing new policy requirements or altering fee structures.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains limited to Anne Arundel County, with no changes to its geographical applicability.
TECHNICAL

The bill text was reorganized to replace the title 'A BILL ENTITLED' with 'CHAPTER ______' and renumbered sections for better alignment with the county code.

Formatting and explanatory notes were updated to clarify that underlining indicates amendments to the bill itself, distinguishing them from changes to existing law.

The section numbering and indentation for entertainment permit categories (Background, General, and Full) were adjusted to improve readability and logical flow.

Minor text adjustments were made to align permit descriptions and fee schedules, ensuring consistency across the different permit types.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Apr 2, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
9
Committee
6
May 26, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor - Chapter 855
executive
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Returned Passed
upper
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Apr 2, 2026
House Of Delegates · Passed
House of Delegates Vote: pass (136-0-6)
house of delegates
Mar 6, 2026
Committee
Referred Government, Labor, and Elections
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Third Reading Passed
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
upper
Mar 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable Report by Finance
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Committee
First Reading Finance
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.