SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — In May 2023, voters in Sevierville decided to allow liquor stores to open in the city. City leaders immediately went to work to discuss restrictions and rules surrounding how bottles of liquor could be sold.
Months later, Sevierville leaders formalized rules surrounding liquor stores. A new ordinance passed 3-1 on Monday that implements restrictions on liquor stores in the city.
The ordinance limits the number of stores that can be open in the city to five and says there can't be more than one store in any of the five zones established in the ordinance. It also says liquor stores can not be open within 1,000 ft. of a church, school or park. The five zones are listed below.
- Zone 1 – SR 66 from north city limits to French Broad River
- Zone 2 – SR 66 from French Broad River to US 411/SR 35 and Forks of the River Parkway to US 441/SR 71
- Zone 3 – SR 35 from west city limits to east city limits
- Zone 4 – Veterans Boulevard (SR 449) from SR 35 to city limits and Collier Drive
- Zone 5 – US 441/SR 71 from Forks of the River Parkway to south city limits
Leaders specified that liquor store applications cost $1,500, and said there can only be one applicant to one store, on one property, in one zone. The ordinance requires buildings to be at least 4,500 square feet large and half of its square footage needs to be used as a showroom. They also need to have windows giving people outside a chance to look inside and vice-versa, the ordinance said.
Restrictions on liquor in Sevier County have changed gradually over the years. In 2018, voters decided to allow grocery stores outside of the county's cities to sell wine. In 2013, Pigeon Forge voted to allow liquor-by-the-drink sales even though Sevierville already allowed such sales, as well as beer sales.
