By D.M.Livingston|The Waterbury Times|Published Dec 6, 2025

If it feels like liquor stores, bars, and restaurants serving alcohol are everywhere in Waterbury, you’re not imagining it.
Today, a business can usually open with a liquor permit almost anywhere zoning allows, with far fewer distance restrictions than in past generations.

But historically, Connecticut had strict spacing rules that controlled where alcohol could be sold — and an old CT Supreme Court case proves it.

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BACK THEN: THE 1,500-FOOT Rule

In 1949, the Connecticut Supreme Court decided a case called Miller v. Zoning Commission of Bridgeport.
The rule at the time was simple and strict:

No building could be used to sell alcohol if it was within 1,500 feet of another place already selling alcohol.

Even a restaurant that already had a beer permit was not allowed to upgrade to a full liquor permit if it sat inside the 1,500-foot zone.
The Court upheld the rule, saying towns had the legal right to control “liquor density” through zoning.

This wasn’t just Bridgeport — Waterbury, Hartford, New Haven, Meriden, Torrington, and others all had similar distance rules in their zoning codes.

The goal was to prevent:

• clusters of bars
• too many package stores in one neighborhood
• “overconcentration” of alcohol outlets
• noise, loitering, and heavy foot-traffic zones

For decades, that was normal life in Connecticut.

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WHAT CHANGED: THE STATE BACKED AWAY

Connecticut eventually scrapped statewide distance requirements between liquor establishments.
Modern statutes (like CGS § 30-22) do not impose 1,500-foot spacing anymore.
The state now focuses mostly on:

• age limits
• permits
• number of package stores allowed per town
• compliance and enforcement

Everything else — including distance rules — is a local zoning decision.

Over the last 10–15 years, many Connecticut towns dropped their spacing rules, including:

• Newington
• Torrington
• Several Shoreline communities
• Some smaller valley towns

They removed 1,000-foot and 1,500-foot rules to make commercial development easier.

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WATERBURY TODAY: “YOU CAN BUY LIQUOR ANYWHERE”

Waterbury, like many cities, now has far fewer distance restrictions than it used to.

This is why:

• Package stores can sit blocks apart
• Restaurants have few barriers to adding alcohol
• Pockets like the South End, North End, Waterville, Downtown, and East Main have heavy liquor density
• Convenience stores, gas stations, and bodegas often hold beer permits

When people say,
“Man, there’s a liquor store on every corner,”
they’re describing the modern landscape after the old rules fell away.

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WHY THIS MATTERS

Understanding cases like Miller (1949) helps explain how dramatic the change really is.
There was a time — not long ago — when zoning literally blocked new alcohol permits if a competitor was too close.

Today?
A business in Waterbury mostly needs:

• the right zoning,
• a willing landlord,
• and state approval.

The old barriers are gone.

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BOTTOM LINE

Waterbury didn’t suddenly decide to flood the city with liquor stores.
What changed was the law — specifically, the disappearance of old 1,500-foot separation rules that once controlled where alcohol could be sold.

The 1949 case shows how strict the system used to be.
Recent state-level and town-level zoning changes explain why the map looks so different today.

The Waterbury Times