Last updated 2026-07-25
TL;DR
A beer and wine permit (or license) lets a restaurant or bar sell beer and wine on premise but not liquor. Costs vary hugely by state, roughly a few hundred dollars up to five figures, and quotas, local approval, and food-sales rules all affect timing. It is a separate, usually cheaper and faster path than a full liquor license.
what is a beer and wine permit, exactly
A beer and wine permit (some states call it a beer and wine license, some a BW license) authorizes a business to sell beer and wine for consumption on premise, off premise, or both, depending on the class. It does not cover distilled spirits. If you want to pour a margarita or a bourbon old fashioned, you need a separate liquor license, usually called an on-premise retail license or a full liquor license, and that license almost always costs more and takes longer to get. States set this up differently. Some, like Texas, split beer and wine into their own permit categories issued by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, with separate permit classes for wine and beer retailers versus mixed beverage permits for liquor, as laid out in the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code [1]. Other states fold beer and wine into a single lower tier of license and treat full liquor as an upgrade tier. Either way, the beer-and-wine-only route is usually the cheapest and fastest legal way to start selling alcohol in a restaurant. The tradeoff is obvious: no cocktails means no cocktail margins. A lot of new restaurant owners start with beer and wine to get open faster and cheaper, then apply to add a full liquor license later once the concept is proven and cash flow allows it.
how much is a liquor license
There's no single national number, because liquor licensing is a state and local function, not federal. The federal government requires a Federal Basic Permit for anyone engaged in producing, importing, or wholesaling alcohol under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, 27 U.S.C. Section 203, but a restaurant or bar simply selling drinks to customers at retail does not need this federal permit [2]. Your real cost lives at the state and sometimes county or city level. Across states, on-premise liquor license costs run from a few hundred dollars in some states to five or six figures in others, especially in states that cap the number of licenses (quota states) where existing licenses trade on a private resale market. In a quota state with a tight cap, a full liquor license can trade for well into six figures on the secondary market, far above the state's own issuance fee, because supply is fixed and demand isn't. In a non-quota, license-on-demand state, you might pay a flat state fee plus a local fee and be done. Beer and wine permits sit well below full liquor license costs in almost every state, often in the hundreds to low thousands of dollars for the state fee itself. That said, "low cost" states can still have significant local fees, background check fees, and bond requirements stacked on top, so always check your specific state ABC agency's current fee schedule before you budget. Never assume a number you saw for one state applies to another; confirm with your state ABC authority.
how much is a liquor license in florida
Florida licenses on-premise alcohol sales through the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT), and it uses a quota system for full liquor (quota) licenses tied to county population, under Florida Statutes Chapter 561. The statute sets the framework for how quota licenses are counted and issued per county based on population figures [3]. Because quota licenses are capped by county, availability depends entirely on where you're opening, and in built-out, high-demand counties, quota licenses can be scarce and expensive on the resale market, sometimes running into six figures, well above what the state charges to issue one. Florida also offers non-quota license types that don't depend on the county cap, including licenses tied to restaurants that meet certain seating and food-service requirements (commonly called SRX or special restaurant licenses) and beer-and-wine-only licenses (series 1 and 2 licenses cover beer, and series 2-COP style licenses cover beer and wine, though exact series numbers and rules should be confirmed directly with ABT since classifications get updated) [3]. A beer and wine license in Florida is meaningfully cheaper and faster to get than a quota liquor license, because it isn't capped county by county the same way. If you're asking "how much is a liquor licence in Florida" because you saw the same question spelled the British way, it's the same answer: check Florida ABT's current license and fee schedule directly, because fees are set by statute and can change with legislative sessions [3]. Don't rely on a number from a blog post, including this one, without confirming the live fee on ABT's own page.
how to get a liquor license (the general process)
The mechanics are similar across states even though the names and forms differ. First, confirm your license type and whether your state or county caps the number of licenses (a quota system) or issues them on demand. Second, confirm zoning and any local approvals, since many cities require a public hearing, a distance rule from schools or churches, or a local alcohol board sign-off before the state will even process your application. Third, gather your paperwork: business entity documents, lease or proof of premise control, floor plan, ownership and background information for every individual with a qualifying ownership stake, and often a food-sales percentage commitment if you're going for a restaurant-tier license. Fourth, submit to your state ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) agency or equivalent, pay the application and license fees, and wait through the state's review window, which can run anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on the state, the license type, and whether public notice or protest periods apply. Fifth, once approved, you'll usually need to complete responsible beverage service training for staff and post the license visibly on premise. If you're in a quota state and no new licenses are available, your path is either a waitlist/lottery (some states run these periodically) or buying an existing license from a current holder through a private transfer, which itself requires state approval and its own application. Back-planning from your opening date matters here: if a full license realistically takes three to six months in your state, and you've signed a lease with a two-month buildout, a beer and wine permit might be the only realistic way to open on time, with a plan to add spirits later.
how to obtain a liquor license (state-by-state reality check)
"How to obtain a liquor license" and "how to get a liquor license" are the same question people phrase two ways, and the honest answer is: it depends entirely on your state, county, and city, and there is no shortcut around that. Some states, like Missouri and others without a hard quota system, let you apply directly to the state agency, pay the fee, pass the background check, and get licensed in a matter of weeks once local approvals are done. Other states, like New York, route applications through the State Liquor Authority under the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, with county-level community board or municipal input in many jurisdictions, and processing commonly takes a few months [4]. A practical way to think about it: every state license process has three layers that can each add time. The state layer (the ABC agency's own review and background check), the local layer (city or county zoning, health department, fire marshal, sometimes a public hearing), and the market layer (whether you need to buy an existing license because of a quota cap). Skipping ahead on any one of these usually just means your application gets kicked back later, so it's worth mapping all three before you sign a lease with a hard opening date attached. This is exactly the kind of state-specific sequencing problem that a State Liquor License Roadmap is built to solve: a one-time $199 tool that back-plans your specific state's license type, timeline, and required steps from your target opening date, rather than you piecing together twenty different state ABC PDFs at 11pm.
how to obtain a liquor licence (same question, different spelling)
If you searched "liquor licence" with a British spelling, you're either in the UK, Canada, or Australia, or you just typed it that way out of habit, and the process differs a lot by country so it's worth being precise about which one applies to you. In the United States, alcohol licensing is state-run, so use the term "license" (American spelling) when searching your specific state ABC agency's site, since that's how their forms and fee schedules will be labeled. In the UK, alcohol retail requires a premises licence from the local authority, plus a personal licence for at least one supervisor, and the process runs through your local council rather than a national alcohol agency, as set out in the Licensing Act 2003 [5]. In Canada, licensing runs province by province (Ontario's AGCO, British Columbia's LCRB, and so on), each with its own application and fee structure. Bottom line: if you're opening a restaurant or bar in the U.S., search your specific state's ABC or ABC-equivalent agency directly (for example, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission [1] or Florida's Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco [3]), because the generic search term will often surface UK or Canadian results that don't apply to your project at all.
can you serve alcohol without a liquor license
No. Selling or serving alcohol without the required license or permit is illegal in every U.S. state and typically carries criminal penalties, civil fines, and immediate business shutdown risk, on top of putting your insurance coverage in jeopardy if an incident happens while you're unlicensed. States enforce this through their ABC agencies, and violations can include seizure of alcohol inventory, fines per violation, and in serious or repeat cases, criminal charges against the business owner or manager. There are narrow legal exceptions, but they're exceptions, not loopholes for a restaurant trying to open early. Some states allow limited unlicensed pouring at specific licensed private events, BYOB setups where the establishment doesn't sell the alcohol at all (the customer brings their own and no sale occurs), or temporary event permits for one-off occasions like a festival, which are their own separate short-term permit category with their own application. If your buildout runs long and your opening date is approaching without your permit in hand, the answer is never to pour anyway and hope for the best. The answer is to open food-only, or delay your alcohol menu launch, until the license or permit is actually in hand. A lot of new owners lose money on a delayed alcohol program; almost none of them survive an ABC enforcement action with their license application intact.
how to get bartending license (and do you even need one)
Most states do not require a bartender to hold a personal "bartending license" the way a driver needs a driver's license. What most states require instead is a responsible beverage service (RBS) certification, sometimes state-mandated and sometimes only required by individual employers or insurance carriers. These go by different names: TIPS, ServSafe Alcohol, and various state-run programs. Some states do mandate this training by law. Oregon, for example, requires anyone who mixes, sells, serves, samples, presents, or checks identification for alcohol at a licensed establishment to complete an approved alcohol server education course, under Oregon Revised Statutes Section 471.406 [6]. Other states leave RBS training optional at the state level but many cities, insurance policies, or individual restaurant groups require it anyway as a condition of employment or of the venue's own liquor liability coverage. So "how to get a bartending license" usually really means: find out if your state mandates RBS certification, and if it does, take an approved course (often available online, usually a few hours, typically costing well under a hundred dollars), pass the test, and keep your certificate current since most expire and require renewal every two to three years depending on the state and program.
how can i get liquor license (a step order that actually works)
If you're asking this because you've already signed a lease and set an opening date, work backward from that date rather than starting with the application form. First, identify your exact license type: beer and wine, full liquor, restaurant-tier, tavern-tier, or something state-specific, since the type determines the fee, the quota exposure, and the timeline. Second, confirm whether your state, county, or city caps the number of licenses in your area; if it does, find out today whether new licenses are available or whether you'll need to buy an existing one on the resale market. Third, line up your local approvals in parallel with your state application wherever the state allows it, since sequential (state then local) processing is usually slower than parallel processing where permitted. Fourth, get your background check paperwork, financial disclosures, and lease documentation ready before you file, not after, because incomplete applications are the single most common cause of delay across state ABC agencies. Fifth, build in slack. If your state's stated review window is, say, 60 to 90 days, plan your opening date around the high end of that range, not the low end, and treat any number you get from a rule of thumb, including anything in this article, as a starting point to confirm directly with your state ABC authority rather than a guarantee.
can anyone take the bar exam (why this shows up in liquor license searches)
This question gets swept into liquor license search results because "bar" is ambiguous, one "bar" is a place that serves drinks, the other "bar exam" is the licensing test for lawyers, and search engines sometimes blend the two. To be direct: the bar exam is unrelated to liquor licensing. It's the licensing exam attorneys take to practice law in a given state, administered by that state's bar admission authority, and eligibility generally requires graduation from an accredited law school (in most states) plus passing a character and fitness review, not anything related to alcohol permits. If you landed here actually looking for legal bar admission information rather than liquor licensing, resources like the florida bar or a florida bar member search tool, or general california bar admission information, will get you to the right place faster than a liquor licensing article will. If you're here because you run a bar or bares (the Spanish-language search term for bars, common among bilingual searchers) and you actually meant liquor licensing, the rest of this article and our other liquor and florida bar guides are the right track.
beer and wine permit versus full liquor license: which should you get first
| Typical cost range | Low, often hundreds to low thousands (state fee) | Wide range, hundreds to six figures in quota states | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quota restrictions | Rare | Common in many states | |
| Typical processing time | Faster in most states | Often slower, especially with public notice/protest periods | |
| Can sell spirits/cocktails | No | Yes | |
| Common use case | New restaurants prioritizing speed to open | Bar-forward concepts, established restaurants adding spirits | Always confirm the actual cost and timeline ranges with your state ABC authority, since both columns above vary enormously state to state and even county to county. |
If your opening date is tight and your state's full liquor license process is slow, capped, or expensive, a beer and wine permit is often the pragmatic first move. It gets you open, gets revenue flowing, and lets you build the file (financials, local reputation, clean compliance record) that makes a later full liquor application smoother. The tradeoff is real: cocktail-driven concepts, sports bars built around spirits pours, and high-margin bar programs lose a meaningful chunk of their revenue model without spirits. If your concept genuinely depends on a full bar, it may be worth the extra time and cost to go straight for the full license rather than open twice. | Factor | Beer and wine permit | Full liquor license |
what documents and approvals do you actually need to gather
Regardless of state, expect to assemble: your business entity formation documents (LLC or corporation paperwork), proof of premise control (signed lease or deed), a floor plan showing where alcohol will be sold and consumed, personal background information and often fingerprinting for every owner with a qualifying stake, and a food-sales plan if you're applying under a restaurant-tier license that requires a minimum percentage of revenue from food. Most states also require proof of local compliance before or alongside the state filing: a certificate of occupancy, a health department sign-off, fire marshal approval, and in many cities a public notice period or hearing where neighbors can object. Liability insurance, including liquor liability (dram shop) coverage, isn't always a state licensing requirement but is close to universal as a practical requirement from your landlord, your lender, or your own risk tolerance. Getting all of this organized before you file, rather than scrambling after a rejection notice, is the single biggest lever you have over your own timeline. State ABC agencies process what's in front of them; incomplete files sit in queues far longer than complete ones.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a liquor license?
It depends entirely on your state and license type, ranging from a few hundred dollars in some non-quota states to five or six figures in quota states where licenses trade on a resale market. There's no single national fee because alcohol licensing is state-run, not federal. Confirm the current fee schedule with your specific state ABC authority before budgeting.
How much is a liquor license in Florida?
Florida charges different fees depending on license type: quota (full liquor) licenses tied to county population, or non-quota types like restaurant-tier and beer-and-wine licenses. Quota licenses in high-demand counties can cost far more on the resale market than the state's own issuance fee. Confirm current fees directly with Florida's Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT).
How much is a liquor licence in Florida (British spelling)?
Same answer as "liquor license": Florida's Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) sets license fees by statute under Chapter 561, and they vary by license type and county quota status. Check ABT's current fee schedule directly rather than relying on a fixed number from any outside source, since fees can change with legislation.
How do I get a liquor license?
Confirm your license type and whether your state or county caps licenses, gather your entity, lease, floor plan, and background check documents, secure local zoning and health approvals, then file with your state ABC agency and pay the fees. Processing runs from weeks to several months depending on the state and whether a quota or public notice period applies.
How do I obtain a liquor license if my state has a quota?
If new licenses aren't available in your county under the quota cap, you generally have two options: join a waitlist or lottery if your state runs one, or buy an existing license from a current holder through a private transfer, which still requires state approval of the transfer application. Contact your state ABC agency to check current quota availability.
Can anyone take the bar exam?
No, this refers to the legal profession, not liquor licensing. Bar exam eligibility requires graduating from an accredited law school in most U.S. states plus passing a character and fitness review; requirements are set by each state's bar admission authority and vary by jurisdiction.
How do I get a bartending license?
Most states don't require a personal bartending license, but many require or recommend responsible beverage service (RBS) certification like ServSafe Alcohol or TIPS. Some states, like Oregon, legally mandate an approved alcohol server education course for anyone serving or checking ID for alcohol sales. Check your state ABC agency for whether it's mandatory where you work.
Can you serve alcohol without a liquor license?
No. Selling or serving alcohol without the required state license or permit is illegal everywhere in the U.S. and can lead to fines, inventory seizure, insurance issues, and criminal charges. Narrow exceptions exist, like true BYOB setups with no sale of alcohol, but there's no legal way to sell drinks commercially while unlicensed.
What's the difference between a beer and wine permit and a full liquor license?
A beer and wine permit only allows selling beer and wine, not distilled spirits or cocktails. It's typically cheaper, faster to get, and less often subject to quota caps than a full liquor license, which covers spirits and generally costs more and takes longer, especially in quota states.
Do I need a beer and wine permit if I'm only selling beer?
Some states split beer-only and wine-only into separate license classes from combined beer and wine permits, so check your specific state ABC agency's license type list. Texas, for example, issues separate beer and wine retailer permit classes under its own classification system rather than one combined class.
How long does it take to get a beer and wine permit?
Timelines vary by state, but beer and wine permits generally process faster than full liquor licenses because they're less often subject to quota caps or extensive public notice periods. Still, expect anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on your state's backlog and whether local approvals run in parallel or in sequence with the state filing.
Can I open my restaurant before my liquor license is approved?
Yes, you can open and serve food without alcohol before your license comes through; you just can't sell or serve any alcohol until the license or permit is actually in hand. Many owners open food-only and add the beverage program once approval lands, rather than delaying the whole opening.
Does a beer and wine permit let me serve mixed drinks made with wine, like sangria?
Generally yes, since sangria and similar drinks are wine-based rather than spirit-based, but the exact rule depends on your state's definitions of what counts as "wine" versus a "mixed beverage." Confirm with your state ABC agency, since some states have specific rules about wine coolers, fortified wine, or wine-based cocktails.
Sources
- Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, Title 3, Subtitle A (Wine and Beer Retailer's Permits): Texas issues separate beer and wine retailer permits distinct from mixed beverage (liquor) permits
- Federal Alcohol Administration Act, 27 U.S.C. Section 203: Federal Basic Permits are required for alcohol manufacturers, importers, and wholesalers, not generally for retail restaurants selling to consumers
- Florida Statutes, Section 561.20 (Limitation upon number of licenses issued): Florida's quota liquor license system is based on county population under Chapter 561
- New York Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, Section 54 (Retail licenses for on-premises consumption): New York liquor license applications route through the State Liquor Authority under the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control Law
- UK Licensing Act 2003, Section 11 (Premises licences): UK alcohol retail requires a premises licence from the local authority and a personal licence for a supervisor
- Oregon Revised Statutes, Section 471.406 (Alcohol server education): Oregon legally requires alcohol server education for anyone who sells, serves, or checks ID for alcohol