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What Happens At Public Hearings

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The licensing board oversees public hearings in the City of Boston.

Hearings during the week

TUESDAY HEARINGS

Tuesdays we hold hearings for license violations. We hear from:

  • police officers
  • any victims of the violation
  • people who witnessed the violation, and
  • the person who allegedly violated their license.

We'll make a decision of violation, no violation, deferment, or no action. If there was a violation, we may charge fines or other penalties.

WEDNESDAY HEARINGS

Wednesdays we hold hearings for businesses who are petitioning for a cause. We speak with:

  • the petitioner or license holder
  • witnesses, community members, and neighbors
  • neighborhood associations, and
  • City officials who are in favor of or against the petition.
THURSDAY MEETINGS

Thursdays we have Open Executive Meetings. Board members discuss hearings from the past week and have a vote.

Anyone can attend, but we don't hear public testimony.

Want to testify?

If you have something to say, you can testify at hearings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We accept testimonies based on the type of hearing:

  • Only witnesses and victims can testify at violation hearings.
  • Anyone can testify at a business petition hearing, whether you support or are against the cause.

There are several ways to give us your testimony:

Licensing Board
1 City Hall Square, Room 809
Boston, MA 02201

Hearing schedule

Search our public notices for Licensing hearings. We add hearings to our events calendar at least 48 hours before the hearing.

Please note: It takes three to four weeks to schedule a hearing for a Common Victualler License. We'll let you know when to expect the hearing when you apply.

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