What type of TABC permit? As you review the list of permits below, we will include a few items you need to consider for your business. These items will affect which TABC permits you need. There are many different TABC permits that are available to business owners that are looking to sell Alcoholic beverages at their establishment. Therefore, Hernandez & Associates does our best to navigate you through them.
Updates To Permit Types
First, TABC has made changes in how the permits are named. Previously, they would refer to Beer and Ale as separate classifications. Now that the law has changed Beer and Ale are considered Malt Beverages.
Malt beverages are “ A fermented beverage containing 0.5% or more of alcohol by volume that is brewed or produced from malt or a malt substitute. This includes both beer and ale.”
tabc.texas.gov
What Kind of Alcohol Will Be Served
Furthermore, When we mention Alcoholic beverages we will be referring to a few different types, which are not limited to Malt beverages, Wines, Spirits, Tequilas, Cider, Rice Wine, Etc. Additionally, It needs to be noted that certain permits only allow for beverages of certain alcohol percentages to be sold.
Example 1: You want to open a bar and sell Tequila or Vodka. This means you need to get a Mixed Beverage permit. If in this same example you only applied for the Wine and Malt Beverage permit. Thus, selling a higher proof drink would be illegal because your permit does not allow this.
Differences Between Primary & Subordinate
Additionally, permits under the Retailers, Manufacturers, and Distribution tiers are considered Primary permits. In the case you want to add additional authority to your Primary permit you would need a subordinate permit.
Example 2: You have a Mixed Beverage permit. With only the Mixed beverage permit you will be able to sell Alcohol until 12AM Sunday – Friday and 1 AM on Saturday. However, if you add the Late Hours you can now stay open till 2AM Monday – Sunday.
3-Tier State
Finally, Texas is a 3-tier state. What does this mean? We are happy that you asked! It means that if you plan on applying for permits under one of the tiers i.e., Retailers tier then you cannot apply for permits under any of the other tiers.
Example 3: Say you are a business owner that owns a Night club, Restaurant, and Bar. All these businesses may have TABC permits that fall under the Retailers tier. Now you want to start making your own Tequila. The TABC permit that would allow you to manufacture Tequila would land you in Manufacturing Tier. Under TABC rule you will not be allowed to hold permits on more than one tier. You can either keep the restaurants, bars, etc. or begin to manufacture product but not both.
Retailers Tier
In the Retailers Tier, your customer would be the end consumer.
The state fees for Retailer TABC permits range from $900-5,300. This does not include City and County fees. The common permits we help clients apply for in this category are:
- Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)
- Mixed Beverage Permit with Food and Beverage Certificate Required
- Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer’s Permit (BG)
- Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer’s Off-Premise Permit (BQ)
- Retail Dealer’s On-Premise License (BE)
- Retail Dealer’s Off-Premise License (BF)
- Private Club Registration Permit (N)
- Private Club Malt Beverage and Wine Permit (NB)
- Private Club Exemption Certificate (NE)
- Package Store Permit (P)
- Wine-Only Package Store Permit (Q)
- Passenger Transportation Permit (TR)
Distribution Tier
In the Distribution Tier, your customer would be businesses on the Retailers Tier.
The state fees for Distribution TABC permits range from $3,500-4,000. This does not include City and County fees.
- General Distributor’s License (BB)
- Wholesaler’s Permit (W)
- General Class B Wholesaler’s Permit (X)
Manufacturers
In the Manufacturers Tier, your customer would be businesses in the Distribution Tier.
The state fees for Manufacturing TABC permits range from $500-3,000. This does not include City and County fees.
- Brewer’s License (BW)
- Winery Permit (G)
- Distiller’s and Rectifier’s Permit (D)
- Out-Of-State Winery Direct Shipper’s Permit (DS)
- Nonresident Brewer’s License (BN)
- Nonresident Seller’s Permit (S)
Subordinate Licenses and Permits
As mentioned above the Subordinate TABC permits are here to add additional authority to your Primary permits. Each subordinate permit will come with its own set of requirements for your business. The state fees for Subordinate TABC permits range from $300-2,000+. This does not include City and County fees.
- Brewer’s Self-Distribution License (SD)
- Forwarding Center Authority (FC)
- Brewpub License (BP)
- Food and Beverage Certificate (FB)
- Late Hours Certificate (LH)
- Water Park Permit (WP)
- Local Distributor’s Permit (LP)
Finally, The permitting process can be daunting at first but with the expert help of Hernandez & Associates, there is no obstacle that we can’t overcome. Consider these questions:
What is your primary business going to be?
Where is your business going to be located?
If at a later date you would like to add a permit(s) to your location we can discuss this further with you to determine how we can make sure you meet the TABC requirements.
When you are ready to begin the application process or you have questions let us know. Contact Us
We have a video outlining the costs associated with the permitting process that you can watch here to get a bit more information.