Federal Alcoholic Beverages Control License

Federal alcoholic beverages control license allows you to sell, store, manufacture or serve alcoholic beverages. If you want to sell alcohol in your restaurant or at any retail location, first of all, you need to have a liquor license. Keep on reading if you want to know more about the details connected to the federal liquor license.

How to get a liquor license?

The process of getting a liquor license varies from state to state. Yet, there are some general steps to follow to get a liquor license. If getting a liquor license interests you, then you must follow these important steps:

1. Contact your state’s governing agency to find out the availability of the license. ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) agency will let you know about all the necessary forms to fill them out.
2. Prepare and submit your application. Besides this, you must provide all the documents and permits required by the ABC agency and your state. You have to provide the documents such as business license, health permit, sales tax permit, building permit, employer identification number (EIN), and zoning permit.
3. Check out the Permits Online Customer Page to learn more about federal distilled spirits permits you will need and the way you can get them.
4. Your state’s ABC agency starts to process your application.
5. Pay the license fee when having your application approved.

You should keep in mind that after getting your liquor license you have to renew it every one to three years. It will give you the chance to work and sell alcoholic beverages.

There is another option to get a liquor license if you live in a state with a limited number of liquor licenses.

You need to learn more about the companies looking forward to selling their licenses. Then you must check out your state’s ABC board and find out the businesses willing to sell their liquor licenses. In case of finding a good option, you can apply through your ABC agency.

There is one more possible option: you can buy a restaurant having a liquor license and renew it every one to three years.

How much is a liquor license?

The cost for getting a liquor license varies strongly depending on your state. For that reason it is very difficult to determine the accurate cost for the license. If you want to find out the most accurate price of a liquor license you have to get in touch with your state’s ABC agency.

Yet, it is still possible to provide you with the average price for getting your liquor license.

First of all you must pay the application fee. The application fee usually costs several hundred dollars. The average cost for getting full liquor licenses ranges from $12.000 to $400.000. The average cost for getting the beer and wine liquor licenses, as a rule, costs $300 to $3000. You should keep in mind that there are some areas requiring a full liquor license for all levels of government.

This includes federal, state and local levels. In this case, depending on the situation, you may also have to pay extra money.

When it is time to renew your liquor license (every one to three years) you must pay a renewal fee. Renewal fees can differ from one another. They can be as high as the initial license fee or vice versa remarkably cheaper, depending on your state.

The process of renewing your liquor license is easier than the process of getting it for the first time. You can get your liquor license renewal about 90 days before its expiration.

Depending on your state, you can renew your liquor license 120 days after its expiration as well. The cost for renewing the liquor license can be $1000 or more than the initial price for the license.

How to apply for a liquor license?

First of all you need to learn all the information about the laws of your state. Then, you must pay attention to the process of getting your liquor license. In order to apply for your liquor license, you must get in touch with your state’s ABC agency. Do it as early as possible. Then you need to provide all these documents for the application:

1. Employer Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes from the IRS.
2. Business license from the local government.
3. Building permit from the local zoning commission.
4. Local zoning permit to be sure you are legally permitted to sell alcoholic beverages.
5. Sales tax permit from the state’s tax agency.
6. Partnership agreement from the state’s secretary.
7. Alcohol tax permit again from the tax agency of your state.
8. Food handler’s permit from the state health commission.
9. The food menu you are currently proposing.
10. Health permit again from the state health commission.
11. Photos of the inside and outside of your building.
12. A copy of the building title.
13. Certificate of incorporation legally issued by the government.
14. Signage permit obtained from the local zoning commission.
15. Details about your experience in the business sphere and your age.

Make sure you have paid your liquor license fee before applying for the license.

How long does it take to get a liquor license?

If you want to get your liquor license, you have to provide all the above-mentioned documents for the application. The average time for getting your federal liquid license is five to six months. You must be sure you don’t have any missing documents. You should keep in mind that this fact can drag out the process of getting your federal liquor license.

Where to get liquor license?

Every single state has its ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) agency. If the process of getting a liquor license interests you, then you must refer to your state’s local ABC agency. Apply for your license through the ABC board. Then you have to wait five to six months to get your long-awaited liquor license.