Topsfield residents may soon be able to purchase their favorite Chardonnay inside town limits.

The issue of ending the town’s “dry” status has been in official debate since May 2002, when three separate petitions seeking different liquor license classifications passed at Topsfield’s Annual Town Meeting. The three classifications would allow for: a one-day license for non-profit fund raising events held in town, a market or convenience store to sell beer and/or wine over the counter, and the ability to sell and consume beer and wine within a restaurant setting. The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed the bills in June and this past Monday, the Senate passed all three without any amendment or alteration.

According to a staff member in Sen. Fred Berry’s office, “this was a very quick piece of legislation.” Sen. Berry is a democrat from Peabody and represents Topsfield.

Now that the bills have been “engrossed,” or passed by both legislative bodies, they return to the House for “enactment,” which according to Rep. Ted Speliotis, D-Danvers, is “just a formality” and should happen by the end of this week or the beginning of next. Once this occurs, the bills are then submitted to the Senate for enactment before landing on Gov. Romney’s desk for final approval.

According to an aide in Sen. Berry’s office, the bills could become law as early as mid-September.

“I would be very surprised if the governor didn’t sign these bills into law,” said Rep. Speliotis. “The issue has been under debate in Topsfield for some years now, where it received overwhelming support in favor of ending its dry status.”

“The vote reflects the community’s overall desire for a more active downtown area,” Rep. Speliotis continued. “Hopefully, [the ability to sell liquor] will help spur business activity for the town.”

According to Roberta Knight, executive secretary to the Topsfield Board of Selectmen, the town has received two letters in recent months from local merchants expressing interest in acquiring liquor licenses. One of those is from Jim Gilford, owner of Gil’s Grocery, and the other is from Billy Qirici, owner of the Daybreak Café, which has recently opened its doors in the evening for dinner customers.

“I’ve received inquiries in the past several years from businesses outside the community asking about the ability to procure liquor licenses in town,” said Knight. “There haven’t been a great deal of them. Perhaps one or two every six months or so.”

According to Knight, when the liquor licenses become a reality for the town - and assuming the bills are signed into law by Gov. Mitt Romney - interested businesses will need to follow a strict application process which will be overseen by a special committee appointed by the town’s selectmen.