§ 10-51. Citizenship, residence requirements.

(a)

Sale of malt beverages or wine. No license for the sale of malt beverages or wine shall be issued to any person unless the licensee is a resident of Metropolitan Atlanta, which is defined as including Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Paulding, Henry, Cherokee, Douglas, Rockdale, Fayette, Coweta and Forsyth Counties. The person must also be a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence.

(b)

Sale of packaged distilled spirits. No license for the sale of distilled spirits by the package shall be granted to any applicant who is not a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence and who has not resided continuously within the state and Metropolitan Atlanta, as defined in subsection (a) of this section, for a one-year period next preceding the year for which application is made. The applicant shall have been a resident of the state for one year prior to the year for which the application is made. If the applicant is a corporation whose primary business is the operation of a liquor store, the majority stockholder must meet the requirements of this subsection, and the license shall be issued to the corporation and the majority stockholder. If the applicant is a corporation whose primary business is other than the operation of a liquor store, the license shall be issued to the corporation and an officer or agent of the corporation who meets the requirements of this subsection. If the applicant is a partnership, the same requirements pertaining to corporations shall apply to all partnerships.

(c)

Sale of distilled spirits for on-premises consumption. No license for the sale of distilled spirits for on-premises consumption shall be granted to any applicant who is not a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence and who is not, at the time the application is made, a resident of Metropolitan Atlanta, as defined in subsection (a) of this section. If the applicant is a corporation, partnership or association, the license shall be issued to the corporation, partnership or association and an officer or agent of the corporation, partnership or association who meets the requirements of this subsection.

(d)

Grounds for denial or revocation. The inability of the police chief to verify any statement of information required to be disclosed on forms furnished by the police chief or to be able to adequately conduct a full investigation of an applicant or a place of business due to foreign background, ties or interest or for any reason beyond the police chief's control shall be, in addition to all other grounds, cause for denial of any license and if any license has been granted shall be cause for revocation of the license.

(Code 1977, § 14-2036; Ord. No. 2004-63, § 1, 9-28-04; Ord. No. 2014-17(14-O-1232), § 4, 5-28-14 )