Yes. There are qualifications for a liquor license. These qualifications are set by the law. The type and number of qualifications for a liquor license depend on who the party is that is applying for the liquor license (i.e. whether the party is an individual, a partnership, or a corporation) and what type of liquor license is being sought.
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Pouring Licenses under Section 12
Generally, an individual applying for a "pouring license" under Section 12 (e.g. a liquor license for a restaurant, bar, nightclub, hotel or tavern) must be a citizen of the United States and 21 years of age or older. A partnership (where two or more people are doing business together) may hold such a liquor license where each partner is a citizen of the United States and 21 years of age or older.
A corporation may hold such a liquor license provided that a majority of the directors are not aliens and that the corporate licensee appoints a license manager who is an individual, 21 years of age or older, who is a citizen of the United States and has "vested in him (or her) by properly authorized and executed written delegation as full authority and control of the premises, described in the license of such corporation, and the conduct of all business therein relative to alcoholic beverages as the (corporate) licensee itself could in any way have and exercise if it were a natural person." This license manager must be satisfactory to both the local and state licensing authorities with respect to his or her character.
No "pouring" license shall be issued to any applicant who has been convicted of a violation of a federal of state narcotic drugs laws. There is no time limit after which this disqualification ends. -
Package Store License Under Section 15
Generally an individual applying for a "package goods store" or "package store" license (i.e. a license for the sale at retail alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises where sold) must be both a citizen and a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and 21 years of age or older. A partnership (where two or more people are doing business together) may hold such a liquor license where each and every partner is both a citizen and a resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and 21 years of age or older.
A corporation may hold such a liquor license provided that the corporation is organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, that all directors of the corporation are citizens of the United States and that a majority of the directors of the corporation are residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A corporation who holds such a license must appoint a license manager who is an individual, 21 years of age or older, who is a citizen of the United States and has "vested in him (or her) by properly authorized and executed written delegation as full authority and control of the premises, described in the license of such corporation, and the conduct of all business therein relative to alcoholic beverages as the (corporation) licensee itself could in any way have and experience if it were a natural person". This license manager must be satisfactory to both the local and state licensing authorities with respect to his or her character.
No license shall be issued to any applicant who has been convicted of a felony. Further, "no firm, corporation, association or other combination of persons, directly or indirectly, or through any agent, employee, stockholder, officer or other person or any other subsidiary whatsoever shall be granted, in the aggregate, more than three such licenses in the commonwealth, or be granted more than one such license in a town or two in a city."