Obtaining a liquor license in New York State is getting faster. Following a damning report released on Sept. 30 — based on findings by the Law Revision Commission and issued in the wake of a new chairman being installed in August — the New York State Liquor Authority is streamlining its applications process.
According to reports, a number of changes to the liquor license application procedure have been or are in the process of being implemented and should reduce the processing time from several months to several weeks. Among the changes are electronic filing of photographs and fingerprints; individual agency commissioners will handle minor violations, with major cases being reviewed by the full board and the hiring of additional application examiners. Various recommendations made by a new internal auditor will be implemented.
A big change is a self-certification program that will allow lawyers assisting with license applications to legally attest to the accuracy of the information presented; Albany’s Times Union reports that will cut review time by 80 percent
At the time the report was issued, there was a backlog of 3,000 applications, with 150 filed each month on average. New York State Liquor Authority chairman Dennis Rosen told the Times Union those pending applications should be cleared within 12 months.