NC government votes to end private bar memberships requirement, Gov. Cooper still to sign
GREENVILLE, Pitt County — Private bars in North Carolina may no longer have to enforce state memberships on bar patrons.
Currently, patrons of private bars are required by law to purchase annual memberships and provide private information to the bar before they can go inside.
The legislature has voted to end the membership requirement, but now House Bill 768 awaits approval from Governor Cooper.
If Governor Cooper signs the bill, private bars will no longer have the burden of taking membership fees from customers.
Bar owner and Vice President of the N.C. Owners Association Jason Ruth said it’s unfair they’re forced to collect membership fees because they don’t serve food.
Ruth said getting rid of annual membership fees for private bars was one of the biggest things his members wanted to see accomplished, because they felt it was an invasion of privacy, he said often times, customers will walk out to avoid completing the membership form.
“We’re the only place in the state that you have to fill out a form to actually have a drink at the establishment, and this form has very personal information, including your home address, email, phone numbers, date of birth, etc,” Ruth said.
NC ABC Commission Public Affairs Director Jeff Strickland said business owners and the legislature are working together to implement these changes.
“What they have titled it is an Omnibus Bill because it addresses a few different things that have to do with alcohol law, so it’s not just memberships, it’s several things, some things are kind of in the weeds and technical and then some things are like the provision to add a new type of establishment that would not be a private bar, but just a bar that would not require any membership requirements,” Strickland said.
Ruth said collecting membership fees also put a strain on their bar because they have to maintain alphabetic rosters to keep track of all of their patrons.
“We have to maintain the original membership form, we have to charge our customers, a minimum of a $1 annually, and we have to renew those memberships annually," Ruth said.
If Gov. Cooper does decide to sign the bill, Strickland said the provisions could go into effect immediately.
