The Garden State Grocery Liquor Licensing Act introduces a new license allowing retail food stores, defined as establishments where groceries and other foodstuffs constitute at least 65% of total annual sales, to sell alcoholic beverages manufactured in New Jersey for off-premises consumption. This new license permits the display and sale of alcoholic beverages in any area of the store where groceries are sold, thereby removing previous restrictions on the sale and display of alcoholic beverages. The bill also stipulates that municipalities cannot enact ordinances to prohibit the granting of this license within their jurisdiction, and it exempts this license from the population-based limitations that apply to other retail distribution licenses.

The initial issuance fee for the restricted retail food store license is tiered based on the store's square footage: $5,000 for stores under 5,000 square feet, $15,000 for those between 5,000 and 20,000 square feet, and $30,000 for stores over 20,000 square feet. An annual renewal fee of $1,000 is established, with 25% of both the initial and renewal fees allocated to the Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and 75% to the municipality. This act is set to take effect immediately upon passage.