Deemed Approved Ordinance
Alcohol-related problems are a leading cause of premature mortality and public costs in San Francisco. In January 2006, the SF Board of Supervisors passed the “Deemed Approved Ordinance” (DAO) to insure that alcohol sales occur in a manner that protects the health, safety and welfare of San Francisco residents.
The DAO is a San Francisco City & County regulation that requires businesses that sell alcoholic beverages (off-sale -- for consumption off the premises) maintain their business in a lawful and beneficial manner for the public and the surrounding community.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health, the San Francisco Police Dept, City Attorneys Office, and the San Francisco Tax Collector’s Office are working together to implement the DAO.
The DAO sets performance standards for all off-sale alcoholic beverage premises (ie. liquor stores, markets, and drug stores, etc.) to ensure that:
- The premises are properly maintained and do not adversely affect the health, peace, or safety of persons residing or working in the surrounding area.
- Nuisance activities such as litter, graffiti, and unruly behavior associated with public consumption of alcoholic beverages within the premises or in close proximity of the premises be resolved with the best interests of the community.
- The premises’ owner, the employees, or agents do not participate in, or assist persons participating in, illegal activities within the premises or within the boundaries of the premises’s property line including the sidewalk and areas between the premises and the street, including, but not limited to, disturbance of the peace, illegal drug activity, illegal sale of firearms, public drunkenness, drinking in public, harassment of passersby, gambling prostitution, sale of receipt of stolen goods, or theft, assaults or batteries.
- Violations of any applicable provision of city, state or federal regulation, ordinance or statute are not committed on the premises.
- Premises upkeep and operation are compatible with and will not adversely affect the livability or appropriate development of surrounding properties and the surrounding neighborhood.
More information (Background Information, Frequently Asked Questions, DAO Community Advisory Committee, Off-Sale Alcohol Vendor Information)