This SC county is looking to bar alcohol sales at after hours establishments

One South Carolina county is looking to prohibit the sale of alcohol in the wee small hours of the morning.

Greenville County Council will vote on an ordinance that would ban the sale of alcohol in the county from 2-6 a.m., according to multiple reports.

The Greenville County Council Public Safety Committee approved the ordinance Monday on a 4-1 vote, and it will go before the full council for a vote on Jan. 9, greenvilleonline.com reported.

The ordinance restricts the hours of on-premises consumption of beer, ale, porter, wine, and/or alcoholic liquors.

Among those places that would be affected are private or nonprofit clubs, room service operations in hotels, bars, restaurants and nightclubs open to the public, according to the ordinance.

If passed, it would be similar to ordinances already in place in the cities of Greenville and Mauldin, according to wspa.com.

“I’d like to see us get this done,” Greenville County councilman Bob Taylor said to greenvilleonline.com. “I don’t see any need for anyone to be out there drinking between 2 and 6 (a.m.)”

The ordinance does not force an establishment to close, it only affects the sale of alcohol, according to multiple reports, which stated that a previous ordinance would’ve required all places to shut down at 2 a.m.

“We didn’t want anybody that’s operating to have to shut down their entire operation if they wanted to stay open, serve food or have games,” councilman Lynn Ballard said to wspa.com.

Not everyone agrees.

“If there’s no more sales, ain’t no point in being open,” said Raul Sanchez, manager of Club La Roka, which is open until 5 a.m. according to wspa.com. “We pay for a license to be opened 24/7.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 8:07 PM with the headline "This SC county is looking to bar alcohol sales at after hours establishments."