Whether you’re in a local garage band or a neighborhood knitting group, it’s nice to be a member of a club. But early last month, a new bill signed away the membership requirement for bars, making it so everyone can enjoy the fun—whether you’re in the club or not.

Gov. Cooper signed House Bill 768, which had passed the legislature with bipartisan support, on July 7. The bill effectively removes the membership fee requirement that has existed in a previous law for establishments that made less than 30 percent of revenue from food and nonalcoholic beverages, repealing the title of “private bar”—a holdover from the post-prohibition era—and replacing it with the term “bar.”

This bill affects Durham bars like Kotuku Surf Club, which have had to uphold a membership fee for years. Orange County Social Club, in Chapel Hill, has had its fee in place since its opening, 21 years ago.

In an Instagram message, Surf Club owner Rhys Botica told the INDY that this new bill comes as a relief. 

“​​It is good to have one of the many senseless laws removed from our industry,” Botica says. “It was pointless and confusing to our customers, having it gone puts us on a more level playing field with other folks in our industry. I actually never expected it to happen as quickly as it did, hopefully, we can see more changes to make NC a freer, fairer, and more open market.”

Botica says this bill doesn’t just help 21 and up customers, though: Another benefit of no longer being titled as a “private bar” but rather a “bar or tavern” means that Surf Club can now allow parents with children to come in during the day and early evening, which wasn’t previously possible.

“We have just started working with The Nomad Restaurant from Hillsborough to sell World Street food on the weekends and it was cool to see families come in and grab a bite and a beer,” Botica says.

Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle. 

Comment on this story at [email protected].