What You Need To Know About Getting A Liquor License For Your Business

When you consider selling liquor from your business, you must apply for the proper license to do so legally. You may want to consider several different licenses depending on whether you are selling bottled alcohol or serving drinks to customers on the premises. Both licenses require state approval and require your business to comply with all the rules and guidelines in place in your area. 

Retail Sales

Liquor sales from a retail space require a license to sell the product and are regulated to ensure you only sell alcohol to people legally eligible to purchase it. In most states, the license is explicit in that customers can not consume the liquor on the property after they buy it. 

Retailers selling liquor to people in bottled form can avoid some of the issues that come from serving them on the premises. However, there are still a lot of rules and guidelines that you are responsible for following if you are selling any controlled beverage in the US. Liquor licensing allows for specific kinds of alcohol to be sold. However, beer and wine products may fall under different licensure in your state, so you will want to check to ensure you get the right one.

Serving Alcohol

If you operate a restaurant, bar, or pub that serves drinks, your liquor license application must be for that kind of establishment. Before being granted the right to sell these products, the liquor commission in your state will often inspect the business to ensure you have met all the standards and are following all the laws. 

There can be age restrictions on servers handling the liquor, bartenders making the drinks for people, and even the number of people you can have in the establishment. Most state liquor licensing agencies publish the rules and laws for you to go over and ensure you comply before the liquor inspector arrives at your business, so take advantage of the information. If you have questions, call and ask. 

The goal of liquor licensing agencies is not to deny your license but to ensure that the alcohol and liquor you are serving are done safely and that you are monitoring situations like people that have had too much to drink or are going to try and drive after they leave the business. In many states, laws in effect can hold the business owner responsible for accidents that occurred because someone spent all day drinking in their bar and didn't recognize a problem or failed to stop serving them.

Proper training for your servers and understanding the responsibilities of liquor licensing for your business are critical, so do your research and use the resources available before submitting your liquor license application.

If you would like more information, contact a liquor licensing service in your area such as Arizona Liquor Industry Consultants today.