Act 56 (Act 56 of 2025) is a Pennsylvania law that updates the Pennsylvania Liquor Code with new rules affecting public venues, nonprofits, catered events, liquor license auctions, and certain brewery operations. This article translates the key changes into practical, plain-English guidance for Pennsylvania business owners, venue operators, nonprofit leaders, and attorneys.
What is Act 56 in Pennsylvania?
Act 56 of 2025 was signed into law on December 22, 2025 and makes several Liquor Code changes. Unless a different effective date is specifically stated, the changes are effective February 20, 2026. Some provisions have earlier timing, including a new public venue permit effective January 21, 2026, and certain auction changes that are effective immediately.
In practical terms, Act 56:
- Creates a new Special Sporting Event Permit for public venue licensees
- Expands Special Occasion Permit eligibility for certain nonprofits
- Adds a 24-hour notice exception for certain end-of-life memorial catered events under Off-Premises Catering Permits (OPCP)
- Updates restaurant liquor license auctions and introduces an “excess auction” option with new transfer restrictions and fees
- Adds a narrow brewery-related exception for consumption on certain unlicensed premises
Act 56 changes at a glance
Here’s the fastest way to understand what changed:
- Public venues: New Special Sporting Event Permit (SSEP) to extend service into an approved outside area for major sporting events (with strict safety and compliance rules).
- Nonprofits: A broader “eligible entity” definition for Special Occasion Permits (SOP) tied to 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6).
- Catering: For certain memorial events, OPCP notice may be required no more than 24 hours before the function.
- Auctions: More time to pay auction bids, escrow removed, municipal approval requirement emphasized, plus a new “excess auction” path with caps, fees, and a five-year restriction in certain county transfer scenarios.
- Breweries: A narrow exception allowing consumption of certain products on unlicensed premises if three conditions are met.
1) Special Sporting Event Permit (SSEP) for Public Venue Licensees
What is the Special Sporting Event Permit?
Act 56 creates a Special Sporting Event Permit for public venue licensees. The permit allows the public venue to temporarily extend its licensed premises to an outside area for functions or activities conducted in conjunction with a qualifying Special Sporting Event.
What counts as a “Special Sporting Event”?
Under Act 56, a “Special Sporting Event” includes:
- A professional sports league draft
- An all-star game
- A playoff series or game
- A collegiate tournament
- A collegiate bowl game
- A collegiate playoff game
- An international soccer tournament
If your event does not fit within that definition, don’t assume the SSEP is available.
What the SSEP allows (and what it does not)
Time limit:
The permit may be valid for no more than six days associated with the Special Sporting Event.
Service hours and container requirements:
The permit allows sales of malt or brewed beverages and liquor (including wine) in the permitted area(s) between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. the following day, on any day of the week, provided the drinks are sold in shatterproof containers or cups.
Boundary rule (important):
The permit holder may not sell alcohol for consumption outside of the permitted area(s). In practice, you should plan service boundaries, staffing, and security to prevent alcohol from leaving the permitted footprint.
Safety restriction: no parking areas (unless properly separated)
The PLCB cannot issue the permit for any area used for parking, or any area not properly separated from parking with fencing or other safety barriers. This is a practical site-plan requirement that should be addressed early if you are designing a fan zone or outdoor service footprint.
Notice requirements: 7 days in advance
The permit holder must provide written notice at least seven days in advance of any events conducted under the permit to:
- The municipality
- The local police department
- The Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (BLCE)
The notice must include the location, time, host, information regarding expected guests, and any other information required by the PLCB.
Age verification: “appears under 35”
At the event, the SSEP holder must verify the age of any individual who appears to be younger than 35, using acceptable forms of identification as specified in the Liquor Code.
Training requirement: RAMP within the prior two years
All servers at the Special Sporting Event must have completed Responsible Alcohol Management Program server/seller training within the previous two years.
Fee and effective date
- Effective date: January 21, 2026
- Fee: $10,000 (deposited into the State Stores Fund)
Needs confirmation: Your notes indicate SSEP applications can be submitted through PLCB+ starting January 21, 2026 and reference a specific navigation path inside the portal. The PLCB summary confirms the permit and effective date, but the portal “click path” should be verified inside PLCB+ before relying on it in a compliance plan.
2) Special Occasion Permits (SOP): Expanded nonprofit eligibility
Special Occasion Permits (SOPs) are commonly used for Pennsylvania fundraising events where an eligible organization sells alcohol as a means of raising funds for itself.
What Act 56 changed
Act 56 expands and simplifies the definition of “eligible entity” for SOP purposes:
- Act 56 deletes nearly all prior specific descriptions of eligible entities that included references to 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) nonprofits and required narrow activity-based criteria.
- Act 56 adds a definition stating that a nonprofit organization under 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) qualifies as an eligible entity with no additional requirements necessary.
Practical impact for Pennsylvania nonprofits
If your organization is a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6), this change is designed to reduce eligibility confusion and remove narrow category requirements that previously limited who could qualify.
Practical documentation tip (not legal advice): Keep clear records of your organization’s nonprofit classification and the event purpose (fundraising for the organization), along with your SOP approval paperwork and on-site compliance plan.
3) Off-Premises Catering Permits (OPCP): 24-hour notice for certain memorial events
Act 56 changes the notice requirements for a narrow but important category of catered events.
Who this applies to
The PLCB summary describes OPCP eligibility in this context as including hotel, restaurant, eating place retail dispenser, and brewery pub licensees who have an OPCP and conduct catered functions off the licensed premises on otherwise unlicensed premises.
Standard notice rule (baseline)
The PLCB summary states the Liquor Code requires:
- Written notice to the PLCB at least 14 days prior to the catered function, and
- Notice to local police and BLCE at least 7 days prior to the catered function
The Act 56 exception: end-of-life memorial events
Act 56 adds an exception for an end-of-life memorial event.
If the catered function is part of an end-of-life memorial event, notice to local police, BLCE, and the PLCB shall not be required more than 24 hours before the catered function.
Act 56 defines an “end-of-life memorial event” as a gathering where guests honor a person who died within the previous seven days.
PLCB waiver authority
Act 56 also amends language to allow the PLCB to waive the written notice requirement for catered events held under an OPCP (as described in the PLCB summary).
Compliance note: This exception is specific. If you use it, document why the event qualifies (timing and memorial purpose) and maintain proof of your notice timing and communications.
Needs confirmation: Your notes mention additional application details being sent to OPCP licensees by February 20, 2026. That claim is not confirmed in the PLCB summary excerpt and should be verified before stating it as fact.
4) Restaurant liquor license auctions: payment timing, escrow removal, municipal approval, and “excess auctions”
Act 56 changes how the PLCB administers restaurant liquor license auctions and creates a new “excess auction” mechanism.
Auction payment window extended and escrow eliminated (effective immediately)
Act 56 updates the auction mechanics in two major ways:
- A winning bidder has 30 days (not two weeks) to pay the bid amount after being awarded a license.
- Act 56 eliminates the requirement that the PLCB hold the bid amount in escrow until the license is approved.
Municipal approval requirement for transfers to a different municipality
If a winning bidder applies to transfer a license to a municipality other than the one in which it last operated, the PLCB shall only approve the transfer if the governing body of the receiving municipality approves the transfer under the referenced municipal approval process.
This is a timeline and risk factor for buyers: even with a successful bid, a transfer plan may hinge on municipal approval.
The new “excess auction” mechanism (unsold auction licenses)
Act 56 creates a new auction concept for licenses that are not sold at auction:
- These unsold licenses are eligible, at the PLCB’s discretion, to be bid upon and awarded at an excess auction.
- The PLCB must hold an excess auction at least once every calendar year.
- At an excess auction, a restaurant license is awarded to the highest bidder for possible use in any county, regardless of where it was previously used, subject to limitations described below.
- The winning bidder may transfer regardless of certain quota restrictions, as long as the transfer receives the necessary municipal approval.
County transfer limitations: five-year restriction, fees, and caps
Act 56 adds significant limitations to manage how excess auction licenses move across counties:
Five-year receiving municipality restriction (when county changes):
If the license is transferred to a different county than where it originated, the license may not be transferred from the receiving municipality for five years after the date the licensed premises becomes operational.
County transfer request fees:
If the winning bidder wants to transfer the license to another county, the bidder must submit a written request and pay a transfer fee of:
- $50,000 if transferred to a county of the first through fourth classes
- $25,000 if transferred to a county of the fifth through eighth classes
Annual cap per county:
No more than two licenses may be transferred into the same county, in the same calendar year, as a result of an excess auction.
What this means in practice (plain-English takeaways)
- Act 56 does not create “unlimited new licenses.” It creates a controlled pathway for unsold auction licenses, and it includes meaningful caps, fees, and time restrictions.
- Municipal approvals remain a critical gating factor when a transfer involves a different municipality.
- If you are buying, selling, or advising on restaurant liquor license strategy in Pennsylvania, you should track excess auction announcements and plan around the statutory limitations.
Needs confirmation: Your notes indicate the PLCB will communicate details once an excess license auction is scheduled. While the PLCB summary confirms the annual requirement and the structure, it does not include scheduling details. Verify the PLCB’s official auction notice when available.
5) Breweries: exception for consumption on certain unlicensed premises (three conditions)
Act 56 includes a brewery-related clarification affecting PA-licensed breweries that sell products produced by other Pennsylvania-licensed manufacturers.
The PLCB summary describes that the Liquor Code allows a PA-licensed brewery to sell products produced by another PA-licensed manufacturer, but consumption of those products has been limited to the brewery’s licensed premises. Act 56 creates an exception where those products may be consumed on an unlicensed premises if all three conditions are met:
- The unlicensed premises is immediate, abutting, adjacent, or contiguous to the brewery’s licensed premises
- The unlicensed premises is contained within the same building as the licensed premises
- Shared use of the unlicensed premises has been granted by the owner to no more than three licensees
This is a narrow exception and should be treated as a checklist. If your business model relies on shared or adjacent spaces, document each condition and align your operations accordingly.
Pennsylvania-specific examples
These examples are educational. They illustrate how the confirmed rules might be applied in real operations. They are not legal conclusions.
Example 1: A stadium or arena wants a fenced outdoor fan zone during a playoff game
A public venue licensee hosting a qualifying playoff event uses the SSEP to extend service into a designated outside area for a limited period (up to six days). The venue plans shatterproof service, staffs age verification for guests who appear under 35, confirms all servers have recent RAMP training, ensures the area is not used for parking (or is properly separated by safety barriers), and provides written notice to the municipality, local police, and BLCE at least seven days in advance.
Example 2: A chamber of commerce plans a fundraising event that includes alcohol sales
A Pennsylvania nonprofit that qualifies under 501(c)(6) relies on Act 56’s expanded eligible entity definition for Special Occasion Permits. The organization keeps its nonprofit documentation and event records organized and treats the SOP approval as a compliance deliverable—making sure staff understands boundaries, ID checks, and service controls appropriate for the event.
Example 3: A licensed operator gets a last-minute request to cater a memorial repast
A licensee with an OPCP is asked to provide off-premises catered service for an end-of-life memorial event honoring a person who died within the previous seven days. Under Act 56’s exception, the notice requirement is not more than 24 hours before the event. The operator documents the memorial qualification and preserves proof of notice timing and communications.
Example 4: A bidder wins a restaurant liquor license at auction but plans to move it
A winning bidder now has up to 30 days to pay the bid amount, and the PLCB no longer holds the bid amount in escrow until approval. If the bidder wants to move the license to a different municipality than where it last operated, the transfer plan should include the receiving municipality approval requirement and reflect that approval timing can drive the overall schedule.
What to do now
If you operate a public venue (SSEP readiness)
- Confirm your event fits the Special Sporting Event definition.
- Draft a permitted area plan early and resolve parking-area separation issues.
- Build a staffing plan for shatterproof service, boundary control, and “no consumption outside the permitted area” enforcement.
- Train staff on “appears under 35” ID checks and verify RAMP server/seller training completion within the prior two years.
- Prepare a standard 7-day written notice template for the municipality, local police, and BLCE.
- Budget for the $10,000 fee and the operational costs of fencing, staffing, and compliance controls.
If you’re a nonprofit planning SOP events
- Confirm whether your organization is a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6).
- Keep nonprofit documentation and event records organized.
- Needs confirmation: SOP portal/application steps and SOP fees are not included in the PLCB summary excerpt provided here. If you want those steps in your post, add the official PLCB SOP instructions as a confirmed source.
If you hold an OPCP and cater events
- Build a short-notice checklist for memorial events that tracks the “death within 7 days” definition and the “24-hour notice” rule.
- Maintain notice records and event documentation in case of compliance questions.
- Treat any waiver-related situations as high-sensitivity and document communications.
If you buy/sell licenses or advise on transfers and auctions
- Update auction process expectations: 30-day payment window and escrow elimination.
- Build municipal approval into timelines for transfers to different municipalities.
- Track excess auction opportunities and plan around caps, fees, and the five-year receiving municipality restriction when county transfers are involved.