TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Dr. Douglas Hewett, ICMA-CM, City Manager
FROM: Dr. Andrew Mansell, Senior Assistant to the City Manager
DATE: September 14, 2026
RE:Title
Authorize the Fayetteville Regional Airport to Extend Alcohol Sales Hours
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
All
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal 2: Economic & Strategic Growth. This item supports Goal 2 by enhancing economic growth opportunities at Fayetteville Regional Airport through support of airport concession operations and improvement of the traveler experience.
Executive Summary:
City Council is requested to authorize the City Manager or designee to issue the written approval required under G.S. § 18B-300.3, expanding the hours during which approved airport concessions may sell alcoholic beverages in the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)-screened portion of the terminal. Concessions currently sell alcohol during airport operating hours, but sales may not begin before 10:00 a.m. The proposed change removes the 10:00 a.m. start restriction and allows sales beginning one hour before the first flight and ending one hour before the last flight each day.
G.S. § 18B-300.3, added by Session Law 2024-41 (Senate Bill 527) in July 2024, provides that during the hours of airport operation, a qualifying establishment in the TSA-screened portion of an airport may, with the written approval of the airport authority, sell the alcoholic beverages it is permitted to sell for consumption throughout the TSA-screened portion of the terminal. Beverages sold for consumption outside the establishment must be in non-glass containers holding no more than 16 fluid ounces and displaying the statement "Drink Responsibly - Be 21" in at least 12-point font.
The authorization applies only to existing approved airport concessions. It does not create a new alcohol program, authorize new establishments, or add sales locations, and it requires n...
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