Will County Committee Postpones Liquor, Ad-Hoc Committee: Gaming, and Tobacco Ordinance Updates Amid Extensive Revisions

Will County Board Ad-Hoc Ordinance Review Committee Meeting | March 10, 2026

Article Summary: A Will County Board committee paused the advancement of major updates to the county’s liquor, video gaming, and tobacco ordinances to allow for further revisions, including new combo licenses, increased fees, and earlier Sunday alcohol sales. The committee spent extensive time amending the codes before ultimately deciding to hold them back for additional legal drafting.

Will County Ordinance Review Key Points:

• The committee amended Section 110.055 of the liquor code to allow Sunday morning alcohol sales to begin at 6:00 a.m. rather than 10:00 a.m., matching the rest of the week.

• The grace period for a business to remain closed or transfer a liquor license before it is terminated was extended from 45 to 60 days.

• The annual retail tobacco product license fee under Section 120.23 was increased from $25 to $100.

• Revisions to the alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and video gaming chapters were all postponed to April to allow staff to draft new language, including a proposed “combo” license for gas stations seeking video gaming.

The Will County Board Ad-Hoc Ordinance Review Committee on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, halted the advancement of sweeping updates to the county’s liquor, tobacco, and video gaming regulations, opting instead to delay the measures so staff can draft further amendments to accommodate modern business practices.

The committee spent the bulk of its two-hour session wordsmithing Title XI Business Regulations, starting with Chapter 110: Alcoholic Beverages. Assistant State’s Attorney Phil Mock guided the committee through the redlined document, which had not seen a comprehensive update in decades.

A primary point of debate centered on whether the county should maintain a fixed number of liquor licenses or allow them to automatically extinguish when a business is sold. The current ordinance stipulates under Section 110.025 that a license can be terminated if a business closes for more than 45 days. To give prospective buyers more time to navigate the bureaucracy of purchasing a bar, the committee unanimously voted to amend the ordinance to extend that grace period to 60 days.

“We have to be customer-focused and citizen-focused and business owner-focused,” said Board Member Jim Richmond. “These business owners that buy these businesses don’t have the most ready access to all the right resources to make sure that they meet all the timing and all the paperwork requirements… The last thing they ever want to do is punitively hurt a business owner purely because they missed a deadline.”

The committee also tackled operating hours. Member Sandy Logan pointed out that Section 110.055 restricted Sunday alcohol sales from beginning until 10:00 a.m., an artifact of antiquated “blue laws” meant to accommodate church services. The committee unanimously approved an amendment to roll Sunday start times back to 6:00 a.m. to ensure uniformity with Monday through Saturday hours.

Additionally, the committee corrected a clerical error in Section 110.010 regarding outdoor special events for golf courses and clubs, amending the text to prohibit outdoor events from “sunset to sunrise,” fixing original language that accidentally banned them during the day.

Despite the progress on Chapter 110, the ordinance was ultimately yanked from advancing to the Executive Committee. County Executive Attorney Ally advised the committee that the county is increasingly seeing gas stations and package liquor stores applying for pouring licenses strictly to bypass state loopholes so they can install video gaming terminals. She suggested the county create a new “combination” license category to address this specific business model.

“I think getting in front of it is probably the better idea,” she said. The committee subsequently voted to reconsider their approval and postpone the liquor chapter until April so the new combo license language can be drafted.

The committee took a similar approach to Chapter 120: Sale and Possession of Tobacco Products and Alternative Nicotine Products. After noting the county’s annual retail tobacco license fee was unusually low, the committee unanimously voted to amend Section 120.23 to increase the fee from $25 to $100. However, Member Mica Freeman raised concerns that the ordinance did not explicitly cover non-nicotine vaping products. The chapter was postponed so Mock could research whether the county has the statutory authority to regulate standard vapes.

Finally, Chapter 121: Video Gaming was also placed on hold. The committee directed Mock to add a definition for “Terminal Operator” and to streamline Section 121.04 regarding fee collection. Currently, the county issues two separate $125 invoices for the $250 per-terminal fee—one to the establishment and one to the terminal operator. The amended language will direct the county to send a single $250 invoice directly to the applicant, leaving the business and the operator to split the cost internally. Mock will also add language clarifying that businesses must secure a State Gaming License before applying for a county video gaming license.

All three chapters are expected to return to the committee for further review in April.