Tacoma Caps the Saloon Trade
Mayor Wright signs an ordinance tying saloon licenses to population—and turns every existing license into a small fortune.
Mayor Wright of Tacoma has signed the ordinance to limit the number of saloons in Tacoma to one for each 1,000 population and to restrain the council from granting any more licenses until the city gets 139,000 population. It is believed the ordinance will make the present licenses worth about $8,800 each.
“It is believed the ordinance will make the present licenses worth about $8800 each.”
Then · 1908118 years apartNow · 2026
Tacoma's 1908 ordinance treated liquor licenses as scarce civic assets, not just regulatory permits. Modern cities still fight over caps, neighborhood saturation and who gets to profit when the number of licenses is limited.
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