When Do 11 AM Sunday Alcohol Sales Start In Cherokee?

WOODSTOCK, GA — Now that voters have overwhelmingly passed a measure to allow restaurant to serve alcohol by the drink at an earlier time on Sundays, residents in unincorporated Cherokee County and the cities of Ball Ground, Canton, Holly Springs and Woodstock will soon be allowed to take advantage of this new stipulation.

Since the question was approved by voters during the Nov. 6 election, appropriately licensed restaurants in Canton and Woodstock can begin serving alcohol at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, those city officials said.

"We hand delivered a letter to our license holders on Wednesday informing them that they can begin this Sunday," Woodstock City Manager Jeff Moon.

City of Canton spokesperson Angela Thompson also confirmed restaurants in the county seat can begin serving at 11 a.m. Nov. 11.

However, unincorporated Cherokee County establishments will have to wait another week to partake in this relaxed rule. County Staff Attorney Opie Bowen said the county has an ordinance that has been adopted "on the contingency that the voters passed the referendum."

"However, the effective date would not occur until the voting results have been certified by the state and the Board of Commissioners ratifies that decision via resolution," he said.

Election results are set to be certified early next week by the state as well as the county Board of Elections and Registration, and the County Commission can ratify that decision through a resolution at its Tuesday, Nov. 20 meeting. If approved, the unincorporated Cherokee County restaurants can begin serving alcohol by the drink at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 25, Bowen added.

Holly Springs City Manager Rob Logan also said the city is waiting on the election results to be certified to its restaurants can begin serving at 11 a.m. Once the results are certified, Logan said Holly Springs officers will hand-deliver letters to restaurants with pouring permits notifying them of the change.

Patch is waiting to hear back from Ball Ground City Manager Eric Wilmarth to see when restaurants in that city can begin serving alcohol on Sundays.

Voters around the county approved the question on their respective ballots, which stemmed from Senate Bill 17, known as the Brunch Bill. The bill passed the Georgia General Assembly during the 2018 legislative session and was signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal. It gave cities and counties the authority to allow voters to decide if restaurants with on-premise consumption and Sunday sales licenses can begin serving alcohol at 11 a.m. instead of 12:30 p.m.

Woodstock voters approved the measure with 75 percent voting in favor and 25 against. In unincorporated Cherokee, the measure passed 69 percent to 31 percent; 64 percent to 36 percent in Ball Ground; 71 percent to 29 percent in Canton; and 73 percent to 27 percent in Holly Springs.

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