This appendix summarizes the instruments used in the stakeholder research so that a reader can see exactly what respondents were asked.
D.1 Stakeholder Survey Instrument
The following inventory reconstructs the question set from the response database.
Rating Batteries (Five-Point Scales)
- Barriers to obtaining a license: cost of license; availability of licenses; competition; time to obtain; process complexity; location restrictions; regulatory compliance; other
- Section 12D conversion: cost of conversion; availability of conversion; time to convert; process complexity; restrictions on the converted license; other
- Factors bearing on license decisions: public safety; license market value; community need; economic development; zoning and planning; political considerations; other
Structured Items
- Municipal officials: role; municipality; whether subject to quota; whether cost is reasonable; whether the process is fair and equitable; processing time; sources of delay; efficiency rating of the local process; whether the state should control license numbers; home rule petition engagement and detail; whether the home rule process is fair; § 12D acceptance, fee adoption, fee amount, and future consideration; availability of licensing information online and municipal website; willingness to be contacted for follow-up
- Business owners: title and role; licenses held by type and number; acquisition pathway (new application, transfer, or home rule) with municipality, count, and cost for each; whether administrative roadblocks caused delay; § 12D awareness, application, and likelihood; views on ABCC oversight; whether additional licenses would create a public-safety concern
Open-Ended Prompts
- Cost; fairness and equity; state control of license numbers; home rule petition experience and fairness; ABCC oversight; effect of additional licenses; administrative roadblocks; availability of licensing information; data the Commonwealth should collect; barriers to an inclusive marketplace; recommendations; additional comments
D.2 Interview Protocol
Interviews were semi-structured. The duration of each interview was 30–60 minutes and took place via Teams/phone call. The primary interviewer focused on conversing with the interviewee, while the secondary interviewer took detailed notes with explicit permission from the interviewee at the beginning of the interview. Interviewers followed the below protocol, but pursued matters that a participant raised.
- How the participant experiences the current quota and, where applicable, the local-control alternative
- The process of obtaining or transferring a license, including cost and elapsed time
- Experience of the home rule petition pathway, including what was required locally and at the State House
- What information was available about licensing, where it was found, and what could not be determined
- The effect of licensing on business formation, municipal development, or both
- What the participant would change about the system
Any quotes used in this report from the interviews, and the context surrounding them, were sent to the interviewee for explicit permission prior to publishing.
| Date published: | October 13, 2026 |
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