Governor Murphy signed an executive order establishing outdoor dining protocols and process to expand premises for liquor license holders on June 3, 2020.  Effective at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2020, restaurants, cafeterias, dining establishments, and food courts, with or without a liquor license, bars, and all other holders of a liquor license with retail consumption privileges, are permitted to offer in-person service at outdoor areas, provided that the establishment complies with certain requirements.

Please read Executive Order 150 for details. For expansion of premises applications for liquor licenses, visit the ABC website. 

The order permits municipalities to use their existing authority to allow food or beverage establishments to expand their footprint to outdoor areas. The Township of Washington has initiated notification to establishments of the new executive order and a pending resolution to establish a temporary permit process which will be discussed at the June 10 Township Committee Work Session. Online meeting information is available on the website calendar. 

The order also:

Directs the Commissioner of the DOH to issue health and safety standards for use by food or beverage establishments. 

Allows the brick-and-mortar premises of non-essential retail businesses that were closed to the public by Executive Order No. 107 to reopen to the public effective at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, June 15, 2020, provided that such businesses adopt policies that include, at minimum, the requirements that were applied to essential retail businesses in Paragraph 1 of Executive Order No. 122. Some additional information is available on the state website at: https://tinyurl.com/y7tjzj4w