Temecula's new alcohol use permit, with a $5,951 application fee, returns to council for final adoption
Ordinance No. 2026-07 would replace conditional use permits with a new Alcohol Use Permit for businesses that sell or serve alcohol. The council introduced it 4-0 on Sept. 8 and listed it for second reading Sept. 22; the outcome of that vote is not in the records reviewed.
An ordinance creating a new city permit for businesses that sell or serve alcohol was on the Temecula City Council's consent calendar Sept. 22 for a second reading and adoption.
The council introduced Ordinance No. 2026-07 on Sept. 8. Action minutes for that meeting show the vote was 4-0, with Mayor Pro Tem Rahn abstaining, on a motion by Council Member Stewart seconded by Council Member Kalfus. The minutes do not give a reason for the abstention.
Minutes of the Sept. 22 meeting had not been posted in the records reviewed, so the outcome of the second reading is not documented here.
What the ordinance does
The ordinance amends Title 17, the zoning title of the Temecula Municipal Code, to create an Alcohol Use Permit, or AUP.
A staff report prepared by Senior Planner Mark Collins says alcohol uses that are not allowed by right now go through a conditional use permit. Under the ordinance, those businesses would apply for an AUP instead.
The Planning Commission would decide AUP applications at a public hearing. A new code section lays out application requirements, the findings needed for approval, and how a permit can be revoked, appealed or modified.
The report says the approach is meant to streamline permitting while keeping the city's ability to place conditions on a project and letting it respond more quickly to public safety concerns.
Separation rule in mixed-use zones
The ordinance also changes a rule on distance. Current code requires businesses selling alcohol to be at least 600 feet from schools, religious institutions, day care centers and public parks.
An existing exemption applies when both uses are in the same commercial zoning district. The ordinance extends that exemption to mixed-use zoning districts, the report says.
Another change makes AUP holders subject to the same revocation standard that applies to conditional use permits when a business violates the municipal code.
Fee
The Sept. 8 vote also adopted Resolution No. 2026-60, establishing a fee for the permit. The draft resolution attached to the Sept. 8 agenda sets the Alcohol Use Permit fee at $5,951. A signed copy is not among the records reviewed.
How it got here
The staff report says the Planning Commission held a public hearing Aug. 5 and adopted Resolution No. 2026-14 recommending the ordinance.
City staff discussed the proposal with a Planning Commission subcommittee on March 4 and with a council subcommittee on March 10 and July 28, the report says.
Staff found the ordinance exempt from state environmental review.
A report from the city clerk for the Sept. 22 meeting says state law requires two readings of a standard ordinance, separated by more than five days.