How you go about getting a liquor license for a bar is one of the most common questions among people thinking about starting a bar come to us with and that we are asked to answer.
Unfortunately, the answer is that it depends on a lot of factors and there is no one size fits all answer. Among other things, it depends on:
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- What state and local area you are in
- How many other licenses have already been issued in your area
- What the transfer rules are like and the availability of existing licenses
- The kind of liquor serving venue you plan to have
- Your personal background
In many places there are only so many licenses allowed per population level, which means that if the quote is full you will have to buy an existing license from someone and no one may be ready to sell.
In some areas, it is easy to get a beer and wine license but very hard to get a full liquor license.
Sometimes the rules revolve around the percentage of liquor sales compared to food sales, making a restaurant much more likely to get a license compared to a straight bar.
Most places restrict who can have a license to limit people with felonies or other criminal histories from becoming licensed to serve liquor and sometimes even from having a partnership share in a bar or business that does even if they aren't actively involved.
As you can see, there is no way to know exactly what the process will be to get a liquor license for the area you have in mind without looking into exactly what it will require in your area. The good news is, finding out is usually pretty simple and there is almost always a way to get it done if you are willing to put in a little effort.
To find out what it will take, start with a simple online search in your area for "liquor license" or "ABC" and your local and state name and see what the rules are for your area. Then, pick up the phone and give the agency in charge a call and ask some questions and very quickly you will know everything you need to do in order to get your license and be up and running in no time.