NORTON - Come Sunday, city stores that sell alcohol can cut the padlocks at noon on coolers that chain up beer and wine and for the first time ring up those sales on the Sabbath.
Norton's new ordinance goes into effect Friday, permitting both the on- and off-premise sale of alcohol on Sunday.
The hours of sale, however, are different for restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages on site and for grocery and convenience stores that sell it over the counter to carry out.
On-premise sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages are prohibited between the hours of 2 a.m. Sunday and noon of each Sunday.
Off-premises sales are prohibited between the hours of 12 midnight of each Saturday and noon of each Sunday.
Norton City Council May 3 adopted a change in its ordinances, which had banned Sunday alcohol sales except for a two-hour period from midnight to 2 a.m. that local night spots said would help their Saturday night business.
City residents accustomed to making a special trip to the store on Saturday for beer or wine or who drove to Pound or Coeburn on Sunday can buy it in Norton after noon.
At public hearing, council considered an ordinance that would have mirrored state law, which permits on- and off-premise sales on Sunday beginning at 6 a.m.
Council modified the ordinance to make it stricter than state law, limiting sales until after noon in a gesture to the church-going community. Council had been presented with petitions from various churches opposed to Sunday alcohol sales. About a half dozen citizens attended the public hearing but were mostly quiet, letting the petitions speak for them.
Although the new ordinance places limits on Sunday sales, Norton Mayor Robert Raines said at the hearing, the new ordinance appears to satisfy the needs of restaurants that have indicated to the new shopping center developer that not being able to serve alcohol on Sunday was an obstacle to deciding whether to locate in Norton.
City Council took up the question of whether to permit alcohol sales on Sunday at the urging of the developer of the new Norton Commons shopping center.
The city notified local businesses of the change in a letter on May 13.
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