Last Call: Public Hearing in March to Go To Earlier Bar Closing Times  

BALLSTON SPA — After more than a decade of failed attempts, a measure to go to earlier bar closing times across Saratoga County – including in the city of Saratoga Springs – is picking up momentum and will likely stage a Public Hearing in March in Ballston Spa.  

The New York State Liquor Authority would need to ultimate give its approval, but the Saratoga Springs proposal is, unlike previous efforts, making positive inroads at the county level. 

The proposal targets an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026 and details new closing times of 2 a.m. – from Nov. 1 through April 30, and 3 a.m. from May 1 to Oct. 31. 

“So, we would no longer be at 4 a.m. in the city,” said Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matt Veitch, who chairs the county Law & Finance Committee, and is also co-chairperson of the entire Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. 

Currently, the New York State Alcoholic Beverage Control Law prohibits sales of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption in Saratoga County between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sunday, and between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. on any other day. 

The county Law & Finance Committee discussed the proposal at its meeting Feb. 12. 

“We did not make any decisions at the meetings – there were a couple of supervisors who wanted to have a little more time to think about it, although nobody expressed any opposition to it at the meeting,” Veitch said. 

The county Law & Finance committee is expected to return to the discussion at its next meeting – which will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 12 – and it is anticipated that a legally required Public Hearing will also be held at that time. 

The full county supervisors board – which next meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 18 and then again on April 15 – would then be required to vote to approve the matter and sent it off to the SLA for ultimate approval.  

All Saratoga County meetings take place at the county complex in Ballston Spa.