# Licensing Authority 10-28-2026


**Body:** Barnstable Government Access
**Date:** October 27, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

The Town of Barnstable Licensing Authority met on October 28, 2026. No procurement activity, contract awards, or purchasing decisions were identified. The Authority voted unanimously to forward a favorable recommendation to the Town Council on proposed increases to entertainment, auto dealer, and junk/secondhand dealer license fees. Staff said the schedules had not been updated since 2008; proposed changes included increases of $10 per auto amusement device, $25 for daily live entertainment and auto dealer licenses, $15 for non-live entertainment, and increases to one-day entertainment fees from $50 to $100 (and from $25 to $50 for nonprofits). Projected cost recovery would rise from 63% to 73% for entertainment, 51% to 57% for auto dealers, and 12% to 19% for junk and secondhand dealers. Any approved fee changes would take effect at the next renewal cycle, not this year.

The Authority also discussed whether temporary junk-dealer events should face different fees from annual license holders, citing additional oversight and police-resource demands; staff noted that a distinction would require Town Council action and possible code revisions. Other votes concerned routine licensing matters, including voluntary surrenders of restaurant alcohol licenses, entertainment permits, manager and operating-hour changes, seasonal-to-annual or annual-to-seasonal license classifications, a temporary junk-dealer license, and a new common victual license. The Authority also discussed bringing certain alcohol licensees with repeated violations before it during renewal rather than placing them on a consent agenda.

**Source:** Barnstable Government Access