[Derived from Ch. 3 of the 1971 Code]
A. 
Laws applicable. All applications for license, all licenses issued, and all proceedings under this chapter shall be in accordance with the Act, rules and regulations referred to in § 83-2, and all other applicable laws of the State of New Jersey or of the United States.
B. 
Issuing authority. All licenses required by this chapter shall be issued by the Township Council, which shall also administer the provisions of this article.
C. 
License required. No person shall sell or distribute alcoholic beverages within the Township without having obtained a license in accordance with the Act referred to in § 83-2 and the provisions of this chapter, except in those cases provided by law where the licenses in question are issued by the Director of the State Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
This chapter is enacted to regulate the sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the Township of Lawrence in accordance with the provisions of an Act of Legislature of the State of New Jersey entitled "An Act Concerning Alcoholic Beverages" (Chapter 436 of the Laws of 1933), its supplements and amendments, and also comprising N.J.S.A. 33:1-1 et seq., and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
For the purpose of this article, the words and phrases herein shall have the same meaning as in N.J.S.A. 33:1-1 et seq., and the rules and regulations of the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the following meanings:
EMPLOYEE
A person paid wages by the licensee and who is listed on the official list of employees of the licensed premises as required to be maintained by N.J.A.C. 13:2-23.13 or any amendments thereto.
The license fees for the period from July 1 of each year to June 30 of the year following, both inclusive, are hereby established and fixed and may be found in Chapter 156 of this Code.
[Amended 4-21-2015 by Ord. No. 2213-15]
A. 
The classes and maximum number of licenses to be issued by the Township are hereby fixed as follows and the annual fees of licenses for the sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages in the Township shall be as follows:
Class of License
Number of Licenses
Plenary retail consumption licenses
15
Plenary retail distribution licenses
4
Seasonal retail distribution
2
Club licenses
6
B. 
The provisions of this subsection with respect to the limitation on the number of licenses shall not apply to the renewal or transfer of licenses presently issued.
C. 
Not more than 15 plenary retail consumption licenses shall be granted or outstanding at the same time, provided, however, that nothing in this section, however, shall prevent the issuance of a new license to an applicant, otherwise qualified, who operates a hotel or motel in the Township containing 100 or more sleeping rooms, or such other minimum number of sleeping rooms as may hereafter be provided by law, or who may hereafter construct and establish a new hotel or motel containing at least 100 sleeping rooms or such other minimum number of sleeping rooms as may hereafter be provided by law.
A. 
Any license issued under this chapter may be suspended or revoked for violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or any provision of any applicable statute or any of the rules or regulations of the State Director of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
B. 
Proceedings for suspension or revocation shall be in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 33:1-31 by service of a five-day notice of charges preferred against the licensee and affording a reasonable opportunity for hearing.
C. 
Suspension or revocation of a license shall be in addition to any other penalty which may be imposed for a violation of this chapter.
A. 
No plenary retail distribution license for the sale of alcoholic beverages shall be granted in the Township to permit the sale of alcoholic beverages in or upon any premises in the Township in which any other mercantile business is carried on.
B. 
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any premises licensed for the sale at retail of alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption in the Township shall be permitted to engage, upon the licensed premises, in the business of the sale or rental of items commonly used upon or in conjunction with the opening, preparing and serving of alcoholic beverages, including, but without limitation as to generality, openers, shakers, glassware, ice, mixers, packaged hors d'oeuvres and similar bar accessories and supplies.
A. 
Hours of sale - on premises consumption. No alcoholic beverages shall be sold, delivered or served to or consumed in any licensed premises on any day between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. except New Year's Day each year as hereinafter provided.
B. 
Sundays - on premises consumption. No alcoholic beverage shall be sold at any time on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, except between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight and between 12:00 midnight Saturday and 2:00 a.m. Sunday.
C. 
New Year's Day - on premises consumption. The provisions of Subsection A shall not apply on New Year's Day. On New Year's Day, alcoholic beverages may be sold, served, delivered or consumed in the licensed premises between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. except that when the morning of January 1 falls on a Sunday, in which case such beverages may be sold between 12:00 midnight Saturday and 5:00 a.m. Sunday.
Nothing herein shall be construed to permit the sale, service, distribution, delivery or consumption of alcoholic beverages at any time or times prohibited by any law of the State of New Jersey or any rules or regulations of the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
No licensee or employee of a licensee shall sell, serve or deliver, directly or indirectly, any alcoholic beverages to any intoxicated person or person under the legal age, or permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages on any licensed premises by any of the above-named persons.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
A. 
It shall be unlawful for:
(1) 
A person under the legal age for purchasing alcoholic beverages to enter any premises licensed for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages for the purpose of purchasing, or having served or delivered to him or her any alcoholic beverage; or
(2) 
A person under the legal age for purchasing alcoholic beverages to consume any alcoholic beverage on premises licensed for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages, or to purchase, attempt to purchase or have another purchase for him any alcoholic beverage; or
(3) 
Any person to enter any premises licensed for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages for the purpose of purchasing, or to purchase alcoholic beverages, for another person who does not because of his age have the right to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages.
B. 
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this subsection shall be deemed and adjudged to be a disorderly person, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500. In addition, the court shall suspend the person's license to operate a motor vehicle for six months or prohibit the person from obtaining a license to operate a motor vehicle in this state for six months beginning on the date he becomes eligible to obtain a license or on the date of conviction, whichever is later. In addition to the general penalty prescribed for an offense, the court may require any person under the legal age to purchase alcoholic beverages who violates this act to participate in an alcohol education or treatment program authorized by the Department of Health for a period not to exceed the maximum period of confinement prescribed by law for the offense for which the individual has been convicted.
No person shall purchase or attempt to purchase alcoholic beverages for an underaged person(s). It shall be unlawful for any person to induce or attempt to induce any licensee or employee of any licensee to sell, serve or deliver alcoholic beverages to an underaged person(s).
Any parent or guardian of an underaged person(s) who accompanies such underaged person(s) into a premises where alcoholic beverages are served and who permits the underaged person(s) to possess or consume alcoholic beverages shall be presumed to have misrepresented the age of the underaged person(s).
No person under the legal age shall possess, serve, sell or consume any alcoholic beverage in any public place within the Township.
No person shall misrepresent his age or the age of another person for the purpose of inducing any licensee or their employee to sell, serve or deliver any alcoholic beverage to a person under the legal age for purchasing beverages or to permit a person under the legal age for purchasing alcoholic beverages to remain on any premises in violation of this section.
A parent or guardian of any minor charged with a violation of any of the provisions of sections shall be required to attend the hearing of the complaint. For the purpose of compelling such attendance the Judge of the Municipal Court is hereby authorized and directed to cause a parent or guardian of the minor to attend the hearing by issuing appropriate subpoenas to compel such attendance. It shall be sufficient compliance with the provisions hereof if one of the parents or one of the guardians attend the hearing.
A. 
During the hours when sales of alcoholic beverages are prohibited, the entire licensed premises shall be closed and no person shall be admitted or permitted to remain thereon except the licensee or bona fide employees of the licensee; provided, however, that such requirement for the closing of the premises shall not apply to bona fide hotels or restaurants as defined in N.J.S.A. 33:1-1(t) and to clubs eligible for a club license under N.J.S.A. 33:1-12(5) and to other establishments where the principal business is other than the sale of alcoholic beverages.
B. 
Hotels; restaurants; clubs and bowling alleys. In hotels, bowling alleys and restaurants and in clubs entitled to club licenses under the law and state rules and regulations, the room in which alcoholic beverages are kept for sale, commonly known as the barroom, must be kept closed and securely locked during the prohibited time and the licensee and any of his employees or any other person shall not enter or be allowed to enter therein. In a restaurant having no room commonly known as a barroom but having a bar located within the room in which the food is served, the bar, during such prohibited time, must be completely screened by an open grill of not more than three-inch mesh or open ironwork approved by the license committee to a height of not less than four feet above the level of the bar, and all approaches to the bar must be securely locked. A "restaurant" shall be defined as an establishment regularly and principally used for the purpose of providing meals to the public, having an adequate kitchen and dining room kept for the purpose of preparing, cooking and serving food and in which dining room food is served at tables by waiters who are other than the person known as the bartender.
During the hours that the sale of alcoholic beverages are prohibited, the entire licensed premises, except restaurants and hotels, shall be closed and no person shall be admitted or permitted to remain thereon except the licensee or bona fide employees of the licensee.