DENVER — Late nights in Denver could soon get a little longer. A proposal from the city would change licensing in Denver which could push back closing times for some bars and other entertainment businesses from 2 to 4 a.m. It would not allow businesses to sell alcohol past the 2 a.m. cutoff time. That would require change to state law.
“The last time Denver did a major overhaul of the licenses required in the city for entertainment businesses like bars and nightclubs was in the 1980s so it's been about 40 years since the city looked at this and updated it,” Eric Escudero, a spokesperson for the city's department of licensing and consumer protection, said. “Here we are in the 21st Century, 26 years in, and we're still operating Licensing and Regulation for nightclubs and bars the same way we did in the last century.”
Escudero said the draft ordinance has a couple goals. One is to make Denver safer, which he said means solving an issue that’s been around for a long time.
He said as it is right now, bars and entertainment businesses in Denver are all closing around the same time and added when everyone comes out into the streets at the same time, it can cause issues.
“If some entertainment businesses can stay open till 4 a.m. not serving alcohol after 2 a.m. like it already is, then we can see a gradual release of people, and we think that can reduce incidents of violence,” Escudero said.
The ordinance also aims to “reduce red tape” for businesses by making it easier to understand the licensing process.
Right now, there are two different licensing types a business with live or amplified entertainment can choose from — the cabaret and amusement licenses. Escudero said there are 14 different types of these licenses.
The proposal would cut the number of licenses down to three — adult entertainment, limited entertainment and the nightclub license.
“If this proposal is approved by city council, the two license types of cabaret and amusement licenses will disappear,” Escudero said. “Those are things from way in the past, over 40 years ago, and when it become much more simple."
The only businesses that are going to be allowed to stay open until 4 a.m. are the ones that get the nightclub license, which Escudero said comes with stronger regulations, such as a requirement for camera footage, rules for security guards, etc.
“For some business types that do entertainment, like nightclubs, regulations are going to get stricter, and for other businesses that maybe someone's shooting pool or maybe throwing darts, there may be no license requirement at all,” Escudero added.
The presentation for the proposal describes what businesses fall under adult entertainment, limited entertainment and nightclub. A nightclub is defined as a businesses that "operate after 10 p.m. have a total occupancy of at least 100 people, and the primary commercial attraction of the business is the provision of live music, performances by a disc jockey, or provision of a dance floor."
Some examples of businesses that would fall under this category that are listed in the presentation include a bar where a live band plays, a club with DJ performances or a music venue with space for dancing.
"A bar owner who wants to stay open to 4am but can't serve drinks after 2am wants to still make money off food and other things like that. They would just apply for the nightclub license follow those rules and regulations, and they could be one of business that's operating different than any other entertainment business has operated before in city history," Escudero explained.
Denver7 wanted to know what some local bars thought about the possibility of staying open a little later.
“If the idea is to make sure that people are going to get home safe, and make sure that people that are enjoying themselves, you know, late at night, are going to be able to, you know, have the time to maybe eat some food, maybe take some time before they leave to go home, drink water, all that good stuff before, other than shoving everybody out at 2am which kind of is the deal, if you’re a place open until two that definitely could benefit people,” British Bulldog bar administrator Kevin Tuohy said.
On the other hand, he made a point that liquor brings in a lot of revenue for businesses and if this proposal doesn’t extend the time they can sell alcohol, he thinks that may steer people away from it.
“I think it's going to be something that probably won't stick. Because I think, again, it's not, I don't think that there are enough businesses that, again, would reap the benefits of staying open till four, maybe certain nightclubs and things like that,” Tuohy said. “Unless you extend the actual serving of the alcohol, most places won't take advantage of it, because that is where most of the money is made.”
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Denver7 asked Tuohy if extending the 2 a.m. liquor cutoff time is something that should be a focus. He said he doesn’t believe the 24-hour lifestyle is the best thing for Denver.
“To be honest, probably not here in Colorado or Denver, you know. I know we do have casinos and things like that. That might be exceptions in certain parts of the state, but you know, we're not Vegas, we're not New York City,” Tuohy explained.
But when it comes to the part of the ordinance that aims to make licensing easier for businesses, Tuohy is all for it.
He emphasizes that there are definitely too many options for business owners to choose from, which can be especially confusing to someone new to licensing.
“Combining them or kind of categorizing things a little bit differently would definitely reduce, you know, kind of, I would say, convolutedness,” he explained.
British Bulldog does have a tavern/restaurant bar license, which Tuohy said is a standard option. They are not able to have live performances but they are allowed to apply for exemptions.
“We would need a cabaret license, I think, is the current license to be able to show, have performances, whether it be open mics or actually have live acts come in, DJs, bands, whatever it might be,” Tuohy explained.
Denver7 did also reach out to Denver Police Department (DPD) about any comment on this proposed ordinance and how they may assist in the rollout of this if it does pass. DPD said it's been in conversations regarding the proposal but note that it is too early in the process.
There is still time for the public to provide feedback on this ordinance. Escuerdo said the city has already held public feedback session on it earlier this month, and one of the biggest confusions from the community is if the proposal would allow bars to serve alcohol past 2 a.m., which is not the case.
The proposal goes to city council June 9, where there will also be an opportunity for the community to provide feedback. If Denver City Council votes to pass it, the changes would take effect January 2027.
Escudero said if an entertainment business is still required to get a license after these changes go into effect, business owners would be expected to apply for the new license types after their cabaret or amusement license expires.
