2025 Chaptered Legislation

Code Section Changes by Bill Number

AB 233 (Gipson, Chapter 30, Statutes of 2025) Alcoholic beverages: licensees.

Amends Section 23388 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill, by adding to the list of permitted delivery methods, allows a licensed beer manufacturer or beer wholesaler to sell beer from trailers they operate to other licensees authorized to sell beer.

AB 344 (Valencia, Chapter 360, Statutes of 2025) Alcoholic beverages: beer price posting and marketing regulations: definitions.

Amends Section 25000.2 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill clarifies, for purposes of the successor beer manufacturer law, that it applies to any person regardless of whether they were previously licensed before acquisition of a licensed brewery.

AB 445 (Aguiar-Curry, Chapter 153, Statutes of 2025) Alcoholic beverages.

Amends Section 25600.05 of, and adds Section 23826.21 to, the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill authorizes ABC to issue up to 10 additional new original type 47 licenses in the County of Colusa, as specified. This bill also extends the sunset date of the retail advertising glassware law from January 1, 2026, to January 1, 2029.

AB 509 (Flora, Chapter 264, Statutes of 2025) Alcoholic beverages: minors.

Amends Section 25660 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill establishes that the “use of an active age verification software or an age verification device”, as defined, that fails to identify a fake identification used in an alcoholic beverage transaction be considered evidence in a criminal prosecution or administrative hearing if the ID is bona fide evidence of majority and identity under Business and Professions Code section 25660 (a), is inspected, is seemingly legitimate, and matches the physical appearance of the customer, as specified. Since existing law already establishes an affirmative defense for a licensee that can show they demanded and acted in reliance upon bona fide evidence, this bill simply makes it additional evidence if the licensee uses an age verification device or age verification software, provided that they inspected the ID and met the other requirements within Business and Professions Code section 25660.

AB 592 (Gabriel, Chapter 469, Statutes of 2025) Business: retail food.

Amends and repeals Section 25750.5 of the Business and Professions Code, amends Section 65907 of the Government Code, and amends Sections 114067 and 114266 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to business. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill delays, from July 1, 2026, to January 1, 2029, the expiration of COVID-19 Temporary Catering Authorizations issued by ABC. This bill also prohibits ABC from issuing any new COVID-19 Temporary Catering Authorizations on or after January 1, 2027. Lastly, this bill permanently extends other pandemic relief measures, unrelated to ABC, that impact food facilities and local governments.

AB 720 (Rogers, Chapter 562, Statutes of 2025) Beverages: alcohol permits: container labeling.

Amends Section 23826.13 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2025)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill 1) establishes an estate tasting event permit that may be issued by ABC to a licensed winegrower that allows sales and consumption of wine at qualifying events, as specified; 2) excludes the mere storage of wine or topping of wine barrels from being considered manufacturing or production when done at a winegrower’s licensed branch office or warehouse; 3) allows a winegrower’s license and a brandy manufacturer’s license held under identical ownership to have overlapping premises, as specified; 4) delays segments of, and makes other changes related to, labeling requirements in the Beverage Container Recycling Program (Bottle Bill) administered by CalRecycle.

AB 828 (Gonzalez, Chapter 715, Statutes of 2025) Alcoholic beverage control: neighborhood-restricted special on-sale general licenses.

Adds Section 23826.24 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill authorizes ABC to issue up to 40 new original type 87 licenses in qualifying census tracts located in Los Angeles County, but no more than 12 per year, as specified.

AB 1008 (Addis, Chapter 568, Statutes of 2025) Alcoholic beverages: licenses: County of San Luis Obispo.

Adds Section 23826.23 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill authorizes ABC to issue up to 10 additional new original type 47 licenses in San Luis Obispo County, but no more than five licenses per year, as specified.

AB 1246 (Hoover, Chapter 295, Statutes of 2025) Alcoholic beverages: distilled spirits.

Amends Sections 23358, 23502, 23504, and 23504.5 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill establishes a direct shipper permit available to California craft distillers and qualifying out-of-state distillers that is a requisite to shipping spirits directly to California consumers, as specified. This bill also doubles, from 2.25 liters to 4.5 liters, the cap on distilled spirits that a licensed craft distiller may sell to each customer per day at its licensed premises. Lastly, this bill allows winegrowers and craft distillers to possess and transport brandy for the purpose of storing the brandy to age at a winegrower’s premises.

SB 395 (Wiener, Chapter 412, Statutes of 2025) Alcoholic beverages: additional licenses: hospitality zone.

Adds Section 23826.22 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to alcoholic beverages. (Effective January 1, 2026)

Summary of Code Section Changes – This bill authorizes ABC to issue up to 20 additional new original type 47 licenses located within a designated hospitality zone established via ordinance by the City and County of San Francisco, as specified. ABC may issue up to 10 of the 20 licenses during the calendar year following the adoption of a valid ordinance, and no more than five licenses per calendar year thereafter.