Frequently Asked Questions

You can apply for a new license online, in person, or by mail.

To apply online, you can use an existing Online Services account or create a new one.

To create a new account, go to Online Services and click Create Your Account. Enter all required information. You will receive an email to confirm your email address. Once your email address is confirmed, select Apply for an Alcoholic Beverage License to begin your online application.

If you have an existing License Administrator or License Administrator Designee role, log in to services.abc.ca.gov. Select Manage and click Applications. Go to the Alcoholic Beverage License section and click Apply for a New License.

If you have an existing Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Server or Training Provider role, log in to abcbiz.abc.ca.gov. Select My Applications and click New Application. Choose Alcoholic Beverage License.

Answer all required questions and upload any necessary materials. Payment of initial application fees is due within 24 hours of submitting your application. You can pay online by eCheck or credit card. A 2.99% non-refundable convenience fee will be added to all credit card payments. If your payment is not submitted within 24 hours, the application may be voided, and you must start a new application if you wish to reapply.

Your application is not automatically accepted by ABC when you submit and pay for it. The contact person will receive an email when the application is received. You may be required to provide additional information before ABC can accept the application. If ABC does not receive the required information to accept the application, your application may be voided. If you have made any payments prior to the application being accepted, a refund will be mailed to the applicant. Refunds can take six to eight weeks. Once the application is accepted, application fees are non-refundable.

For more information about applying for an application online, please refer to the Online License Application instructions.

No, only applications for an original retail license can be submitted online. Some license types may not yet be available.

To apply for a transaction type or license type not available online, visit the New License Application page and complete the forms and documents required to apply for a new ABC license, based on the ownership structure of your business. You must submit the application forms, required documents, and payment to your local district office.

You can apply for an original retail license online as an individual, corporation, limited partnership, limited liability company, or trust. If you are applying as a conservatorship, receivership, or estate, please contact your local district office.

Before beginning your application, please ensure you have the following information:

• Application Type: You must know the license types you are applying for, including secondary licenses. Review the descriptions for each License Type.
• Applicant Information:
  • If any applicant has ever held an alcoholic beverage license, you must have the license number.
  • If the applicant has never held an alcoholic beverage license, you should know their personal information such as name, social security number, and marital status. If applying as a business entity, such as a corporation, LLC, Limited Partnership, or Trust, you must have the personal information for each officer, director, manager, managing member, stockholder, or trustee. In addition, you must have the Secretary of State Number, State of Incorporation, and Date of Incorporation for each entity, if applicable.
• Premises Information: You must provide the address of the premises. You must also provide information about the building type and the surrounding area.
• Mailing Information: You must provide a mailing address if it is different from the premises address. Please note that all correspondence from ABC will be sent to the mailing address, including the license if it is approved.
• Business Information: You must provide information about the business, including operating hours and the planned operation.
• Financial Information: You must provide financial information about the business, including landlord details, investment information, and the source of funds. You will also be required to list all bank accounts for the business operations and the persons authorized to sign on those accounts.
• Documents: You will be required to upload documents to complete your application. These documents may include:
  • Entity documents, including the Articles of Incorporation, Meeting Minutes, Operating Agreements, and questionnaires
  • NOTARIZED Individual Personal and Financial Affidavits
  • Licensed Premises Diagram
  • Tied-House Restrictions
  • NOTARIZED signatures for all applicants, officers, directors, managers, managing members, stockholders, or trustees

Required documents will be specified in the Upload Documents section of the application and will include a link to the relevant ABC forms.

Yes. Changes are saved as you go, and you can edit an in-progress application until it is submitted.

When your initial application fees are available, your license application status will be “Fees Due”. You will also receive an email notifying you that your application has been submitted and fees are due. If you have logged out of your account, you will need to log back in and go to Manage -> Applications and click View License Applications. From your application list, select the Payment action to view payments due.

Payment of initial application fees is due within 24 hours of submitting your application. You can pay online by eCheck or credit card. A 2.99% non-refundable convenience fee will be added to all credit card payments. If your payment is not submitted within 24 hours, the application may be voided, and you must start a new application if you wish to reapply.

If additional payments are required during the review and investigation of your application, you will receive an email notification and can make those payments online.

The only change you can make to your submitted application are to upload documents and pay additional fees if requested by ABC. ABC staff will notify you if additional documents or fees are required. You can upload documents to your online application or email them to ABC. If ABC does not receive all required information, your application may be voided.

ABC staff may make changes to your application if information needs to be added or corrected. These changes will be communicated to you but will not be reflected on your Alcoholic Beverage License Application page. If you need to make other changes to your application, please contact your local district office.

ABC is not required to return copies of supporting documents. Please make copies before you submit your application.

You can upload the following file types: JPEG image (.jpg), Microsoft Excel Document (.xls), Microsoft Excel Open XML Document (.xlsx), Microsoft Word document (.doc), Microsoft Word Open XML Document (.docx), Plain Text File (.txt), Portable Document Format File (.pdf). Documents must be smaller than 25 MB each.

You will receive an email when your application is submitted and fees are due. The application is not accepted until ABC has reviewed the application and confirmed you have provided all required information and fees. ABC staff may contact you for additional information. If ABC does not receive all required information, the application may be voided.

If additional documents are required, you can upload them to your online application or email them to ABC.

When your application has been accepted, the status will change to Pending and you will receive an email notification. Your pending license application will be visible on ABC’s License Lookup page within two business days.

ABC will assign a Licensing Representative from the district office where your premises is located. The Licensing Representative will contact you for additional information and next steps.