City of Detroit Requires a Different Licensing Process Now That Census Figures Indicate Populaton is Less Than 750,000

Contact: Andrea Miller (517) 322-5898

Agency: Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

January 24, 2012 - The 2010 Federal Decennial Census was officially adopted by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) through its Administrative Order dated November 22, 2011. Based upon the 2010 Federal Decennial Census figures, all governmental units in the State of Michigan, including now the City of Detroit, contain populations less than 750,000. Therefore, all on-premise license applications in every local unit of government in Michigan will require action by the local legislative body.

Based upon the 2010 census figures, the City of Detroit has a population of 713,777, which means that state law prevents the Commission from considering any on-premise application unless a Detroit City Council recommendation has been obtained. MCL 436.1501(2) provides that an application for a license to sell alcoholic liquor for consumption on the premises, except in a city having a population of 750,000 or more, shall be approved by the local legislative body in which the applicant's place of business is located before the license is granted by the Commission.

"The statute, which was passed by the state Legislature many years ago, has required that applicants for liquor licenses in cities with less than 750,000 in population get local legislative body approval for liquor licenses," said Andy Deloney, Chairman of the MLCC "No rules or statutes have changed, only the fact that the City of Detroit's population has fallen below the 750,000 threshold which means that liquor license applications are initiated at the local level."

The only exception to the above is for those applications in the City of Detroit that were approved by the Commission prior to its adoption of the census figures on November 22, 2011.

For more information about the MLCC, please visit www.michigan.gov/lcc.
Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/MILiquorControl, "Like" us on Facebook.
For more information about LARA, please visit www.michigan.gov/lara.
Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/michiganLARA,
"Like" us on Facebook or find us on YouTube www.youtube.com/michiganLARA.