COLLINGSWOOD, N.J. -- One of New Jersey's last dry towns has officially decided it's time to have a drink.
In a major development, Collingswood voters have voted to end the century-old ban on the sale of alcohol. The ban, in place since the borough was incorporated in 1888, was overturned in the November 3rd election.
As reported by CBS Philadelphia, unofficial county results posted late Tuesday night showed the alcohol sales question passed by a wide margin.
For over 100 years, Collingswood has had an ordinance banning the sale of alcohol (a very strict ordinance, in fact, as part of its Quaker heritage). The town has long allowed BYOB at restaurants (unlike Ocean City, another well-known dry town), but it has prohibited the sale of liquor within the borough.
The campaign to get the ban lifted really took off over the summer and culminated in the "Booze on the Ballot" campaign. The argument was that selling alcohol would be a major economic boon to local restaurants and, indeed, the whole downtown business district.
With the ballot measure passed, Collingswood is now eligible under state rules to issue up to four retail consumption licenses (allowing a restaurant or bar to serve alcohol) or a single distribution license (for a liquor store).
Residents won't be able to order a cocktail with their dinner just yet, though. The Board of Commissioners will have to go through a complicated process to work out precisely how and to whom the coveted liquor licenses will be issued. That process is likely to take several months.
Collingswood Mayor Daniela Solano-Ward has previously assured residents that the town's beloved BYOB culture will not disappear, even as the new licenses are eventually introduced.
This historic vote follows closely in the footsteps of neighboring Haddon Heights, which successfully ended its own 120-year de facto liquor ban in 2024.
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