Drinking at the strip club? Not after 2 am, Charlotte says in proposed rule change
Club-goers might have to call it a night earlier under proposed rule changes for strip clubs and dance halls.
The city wants to tweak local ordinances to say patrons can neither purchase nor consume alcohol after 2 a.m. As currently written, the law allows people to continue drinking onsite as long as they purchased their drinks before the 2 a.m. last call.
The change would make police enforcement easier and reduce early morning “violent instances,” according to Maj. Stephen Fischbach with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Officers often get calls for service to nightclubs that still have people drinking around 4 or 5 a.m.
“The businesses say, ‘We sold this to them when it was still legal to do so. They’re still just drinking it.’ And our folks don’t know without a receipt when that alcohol was actually purchased,” Fischbach said during a presentation to the city’s safety committee on Monday.
Charlotte is also considering a change that would require inspections even after businesses get their license to operate. Under the current ordinance, clubs are only inspected during the permitting process.
“We believe that inspections should also come with a caveat that noncompliance could be grounds for revocation of their permit under our city ordinance,” said Jessica Battle, assistant city attorney for CMPD.
The rule changes target dance halls, which are businesses that host music and dancing but are “not quite a restaurant,” and sexually-oriented businesses such as strip clubs, which offer adult entertainment, Battle said.
A third recommendation would make it easier for the city to revoke permits from sexually-oriented businesses by including “breaches of peace” as criteria. A breach of peace can include disturbances such as assault, threats or unlawful possession of a deadly weapon.
The safety committee unanimously agreed to advance the changes to the full City Council for a future vote.
