Rhode Island § 3-7-8 - Retail Licenses

§ 3-7-8. Class C license.

(a) A retailer’s Class C license authorizes the holder of the license to keep for sale and to sell beverages at retail at the place described in the license and to deliver those beverages for consumption on the premises where sold. No beverages shall be sold or served after twelve o’clock (12:00) midnight nor before six o’clock (6:00) a.m., except as provided in subsection (e) herein. Local license boards in the several cities and towns may fix an earlier closing time within their discretion. The license authorizes the holder to keep for sale and sell beverages, including beer in cans, at retail at the place described in the license and to deliver those beverages for consumption on the premises.

(b) The license authorizes the holder to sell pre-packaged foods prepared off the premises with beverages but prohibits the preparation and serving of foods cooked on the premises. The holder of the license may serve with beverages, and without charge, popcorn, crackers, bread, pretzels, sausage of any type, pickles, sardines, smoked herring, lupino beans, and potato chips. No food shall be cooked on the premises but pre-packaged foods prepared and cooked off the premises and purchased by the holder from a supplier may be warmed and sold on the premises in their original packaging, and all foods shall be covered in accordance with the regulations of the state department of health. The annual fee for the license is four hundred dollars ($400) to eight hundred dollars ($800), prorated to the year ending December 1 in every calendar year.

(c) The town councils of the towns of Coventry, Scituate, and South Kingstown are authorized to prohibit by ordinance the issuance of Class C licenses. Upon prohibiting Class C licenses, the license board of the towns of Coventry, Scituate and South Kingstown shall issue Class B licenses to the holder of all Class C licenses in those towns. The Class B licenses may be issued to the holders of Class C licenses notwithstanding any requirements of § 3-7-7. The holders of Class C licenses shall have the full privileges of a Class B license and shall pay the annual fee provided for Class B licenses.

(d) Notwithstanding any prohibitions on the preparation and serving of foods cooked on the premises contained in paragraph (b) herein, the holders of Class C licenses in the city of Newport are authorized to prepare and serve foods cooked on the premises. The holders of Class C licenses in the city of Newport shall be deemed to be victualling houses for purposes of § 3-8-1.

(e) Any holder of a Class C license may, upon the approval of the local licensing board and for the additional payment of two hundred dollars ($200), sell or serve beverages on Fridays and Saturdays and the night before legal state holidays until one o’clock (1:00) a.m. All requests for a one o’clock (1:00) a.m. license shall be advertised, at the applicant’s expense, by the local licensing board in a newspaper with a general statewide circulation or having a general circulation in the city or town where the establishment applying for the license is located.

(f) The licensing board for the city of Providence is authorized to immediately suspend or revoke the license or exercise other remedies, in accordance with proper due process owed to the licensee, with respect to:

(1) Any Class C licensee that provides entertainment without an entertainment license issued by the city of Providence pursuant to its authority under chapter 22 of title 5; and/or

(2) Any Class C licensee that engages in activities exceeding those permitted by a Class C license, unless such licensee has obtained any additional license permitting such activities, including, but not limited to, a Class N license.