Clarksville has five new retail liquor store certificates on offer. Applications close at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26. Here is what the city asks for and where the 22 stores are.
Anyone hoping to open a new liquor store in Clarksville has until 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, to apply. The city is taking applications for five more retail liquor store certificates of compliance.
A certificate of compliance is the city’s sign-off. A store needs it before it can get a state retail liquor license.
The city announced the openings in an Oct. 5 news release. Late applications will not be considered, the release said.
Why five are available
City Code Section 2-205(b) sets the limit on retail liquor stores at 27. The city said that is the maximum allowed for Clarksville under the most recent U.S. Census population count.
The five certificates come back into play after the city repealed five from its July 2025 drawing, the release said.
The city’s own list of licensed retail liquor stores names 22 stores. With five more, the city would reach its limit of 27.
What an applicant has to file
The city’s 2026 application packet lists what goes to the Revenue Collections office on the first floor of City Hall:
- a $250 nonrefundable application fee
- a valid driver’s license for each person who will hold the license
- the application for a retail liquor store certificate of compliance
- a local background history form, signed by each owner and each person who will run the business
- an application and affidavit, signed and notarized by the same people
- the name and address of the property owner, with a letter from the owner confirming a written agreement to lease or sell the site to the applicant
- a letter from the city’s Building and Codes department saying the location meets the city’s rules on where liquor stores may go, in City Code Section 2-207
The packet sets some limits on who can apply. An applicant cannot hold public office or be a public employee. Only one application is allowed per applicant address for each store location.
A company applying has to name everyone with a direct or indirect interest in the business. It also has to name the officer or employee who will run it day to day.
Applications are public information once they are filed, the packet says.
What happens next
The City Clerk checks each application against Section 2-214 of the City Code. An application that meets the rules goes to the City Council at the earliest possible meeting, with the applicant’s proposed certificate. The packet says approved certificates are signed by the mayor and issued by the City Clerk.
The packet also says the Clarksville Police Department completes an investigation on each background history form.
Where the 22 stores are
The city’s list gives a City Council ward for each store. Ward 10 has the most, with four. Ward 12 has none on the list.
| Ward | Stores on the city list |
|---|---|
| Ward 1 | 1 |
| Ward 2 | 1 |
| Ward 3 | 2 |
| Ward 4 | 1 |
| Ward 5 | 1 |
| Ward 6 | 2 |
| Ward 7 | 3 |
| Ward 8 | 2 |
| Ward 9 | 2 |
| Ward 10 | 4 |
| Ward 11 | 3 |
| Ward 12 | 0 |
| Total | 22 |
Madison Street, Wilma Rudolph Boulevard and Fort Campbell Boulevard each have three stores on the list.
What it means for you
- If you want to open a store: The deadline is 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, at the Revenue Collections office in City Hall, One Public Square. Get the Building and Codes location letter first, because the packet requires it. The City Clerk’s office answers questions at 931-648-6121.
- If you live near a possible site: Applications are public once filed, and approved ones go to the City Council. Council agendas are posted before each meeting. Our guide to who to call at City Hall explains how to reach your ward’s council member.
- If you are watching new businesses: We track openings on our new businesses page.
We will report which applications reach the City Council.
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