Chicago aldermen on Friday approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed ban on alcohol sales at packaged good stores after midnight.
The ban goes into effect immediately.
Before the pandemic, liquor stores in Chicago were allowed to sell most types of alcohol until 2 a.m. or later. There have been efforts in recent years by some aldermen concerned about violence and loitering near liquor stores to set earlier hours, but those proposals have not gained much traction.
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There are currently two liquor stores allowed to stay open until 4 a.m. that will be allowed to stay open until 2 a.m.
A 9 p.m. curfew on liquor sales took effect in the early days of the pandemic and was later extended to 11 p.m. Lightfoot proposed a 10 p.m. ban, but that was dead on arrival at City Council and she instead proposed a midnight compromise.
Lightfoot has defended her push to permanently shorten sales hours by pointing to “quality of life issues” such as loitering and “illegal activity.”
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