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Resources for Acquiring a Alameda Liquor License
Use this page as your all-in-one guide for Liquor Licensing. This page contains resources you can use to learn about every aspect of how to get your liquor licenses. If you are interested in getting a liquor license or want to speak to one of our experts for Free please fill out your information below.
Introduction
Alameda, one of the bay area counties, has a number of towns with significant populations. As a result of strong population growth and a limitation on the number of licenses in the county, there is strong demand for liquor licenses. Like many of the other areas in California, licensure allows business owners to capitalize on income opportunities as the sale of alcohol, and hard liquor in specific, has the fattest profit margin of any product in the bar, restaurant, and grocery industries. The information below will help prospective business owners, you, to learn more about acquiring a license in Alameda.
Types of Alameda County Liquor Licenses
The types of licenses available to Alameda businesses mirror those of other counties. As such, licenses come into two major varieties with two major types each. The first variety is off-sale. Off-sale licenses allow business to sell alcohol in their original packages to customers who take the booze home to drink. The second variety is on-sale. On-sale licenses allow business owners to sell alcohol to customers who plan on consuming at the establishment. For each of these varieties there are beer and wine licenses and full liquor licenses. The difference between the two is somewhat self explanatory. Please see below for more detail on the types of licenses available and the means for acquisition of each.
Type 20 Off-Sale Beer and Wine
Allows business owners to sell beer and wine to customers for home consumption. This type of license can be purchased on the open market or can be acquired directly from the state government. The determining factor in whether you can obtain the license from the government directly is moratorium. If you city is in moratorium, business owners have no choice but to look to the open market.
Type 21 Off-Sale Full Liquor
Allows business owners to sell all types of alcohol to customers for home consumption. Regardless of what city you in Alameda you are in, you will need to buy a type 21 from the open market.
Type 41 Original Beer and Wine
Type 41 licenses are beer and wine licenses for on-premise consumption. These are the simplest licenses to get, because no matter what city you are in you can get the license from the state. Note, however that the process is still difficult and time consuming.
Type 47 Full Liquor Restaurant
Type 47 Liquor licenses are on-premise full liquor licenses that allow businesses to serve customers so long as the business’ revenue is at least 51% food based. These licenses must be purchased.
Type 48 Full Liquor Bar
48s are similar to 47’s in what you are allowed to serve, however, they do not carry the same revenue restrictions at restaurant licenses. These licenses need to be purchased on the open market as well.
Type 57 Full Liquor Private Club
57’s are private member club licenses they are convertible from type 47’s. In order to have this license all people who come into your establishment must have paid a membership.
How to get an Alameda License (8 Steps)
01 Select a location
In order to acquire a license it is required that you have a location in which to put the license. In addition, licenses sit on locations for specific businesses. If you own a license and intend to move it, it is required that your re-apply.
02 Determine what type of liquor license is needed and Buy the License
Use the reference list above to help you to determine what type of license you need as well as the means through which you will have to obtain it.
03 Open an escrow
All transfers of liquor licenses require an escrow. Escrows are in place to protect both the buyer and the seller of the license while the ABC is processing the application. Escrow companies are regulated by the California Government and are audited on a regular basis. To be safe, ensure that your escrow company have years of experience and is bonded and insured.
04 Post a notice issued to you by the ABC on your premises for thirty days
Site surveys are ABC’s way to ensuring that any premise intending on selling alcohol are not too close to any schools or churches. The site survey also corresponds with a mailer that alert neighbors of your intentions.
05 Submit your application
ABC applications are notoriously difficult to fill in correctly and making any mistakes and delay or even possibly eliminate your chances of getting a liquor license. For a flat fee, we have a service that will rid you of any worries. Our Liquor License Consulting Service helps you by correctly filling in all of the necessary paperwork and in addition, works directly with the ABC to expedite your licensure process.
06 Have the entire premises surveyed
Posting notice is a large sign that is placed in the window, or on the front of your establishment, that notifies the public you are going to sell alcohol. The posting notice must be placed somewhere noticeable as the ABC may come to inspect the notice to ensure it is properly placed and dated.
07 After the public notice period, the ABC will conduct an investigation into the business
ABC investigations are notoriously rigorous. It is not uncommon for ABC detectives to delve into both your and the businesses history to see if there was any criminal activity or liens, etc.
08 Receive a liquor license in the mail from the ABC
You Did It! You can sell booze! Go hang your license and make money $$$
Brokerage
We are the largest brokerage firm in the nation. We have decades of experience and specialize in getting hard to find liquor licenses, in areas like Alameda County, for our clients. With the relationships we’ve garnered we can guarantee that we will get you the license you need. Our size and skill allows us to get licenses quicker, cheaper and more professionally than our competitors.
Contact Us today 1(800)222-5777
Interested in buying a Alameda Liquor License? Connect to our BUY page
Moratorium
Alameda is one of the few counties that are not completely in moratorium. Moratorium is the consideration from the state that prevents all types of licenses, except 41, from being issued. As a result in certain cities in Alameda you can purchase type 20 licenses directly from the state. These cities include Alameda, Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton and Union City.
Additional Resources
County Government
County of Alameda
Administration Building
1221 Oak Street, Suite 536
Oakland, CA 94612
510.208.9770
sales@liquorlicense.com
