NY Business Licensing
Liquor licenses, sidewalk cafés, permits.
LIQUOR LICENSE
A liquor license is a permit to sell alcoholic beverages.
Restaurant Liquor License: Known as the all liquor license, it is the most generally used license.
SIDEWALK CAFÉ
A business must have a Sidewalk Café license and revocable consent if it operates a portion of a restaurant on a public sidewalk.
We service all types of Businesses
Restaurants, grocery Stores, Supermarkets, etc.
License FAQ's
In the case of an individual or a partnership, each person must be 21 years of age or older and be: a citizen of the United States; a permanent resident alien; or a citizen of a country with a treaty allowing persons to obtain a visa to enter the United States to engage in trade.
In the case of a limited liability company or a corporation, the managing member of the limited liability company or the officers and directors of the corporation must each be 21 years of age or older and be: a citizen of the United States; a permanent resident alien; or a citizen of a country with a treaty allowing persons to obtain a visa to enter the United States to engage in trade.
In addition, a person is not eligible to hold a license if he/she is:
(a) a convicted felon (unless he/she has a Certificate of Relief from Civil Disabilities, has received a pardon, or has been issued a Certificate of Good Conduct). This includes a felony conviction in NYS and a conviction in another state or federal jurisdiction if the crime would be a felony in NYS.
(b) a police officer.
(c) a person whose license to sell alcoholic beverages was revoked within the last two years.
You may contact us at (718) 898-0141 to request an application by email.
You may be eligible for a temporary permit depending on where your establishment is located, the type of license and whether you are buying an existing establishment or starting a new business.
If the business is located in New York City, you are eligible for a temporary permit if you are buying the business from the current licensee and the business has been open and operating within 30 days of the date you filed the application for the permit.
If the business is located outside of New York City, you are eligible for a temporary permit if: (a) you are buying the business from the current licensee and the business has been open and operating within 30 days of the date you filed the application for the permit; or (b) you are starting a new business and it is not a package store, wine store, or subject to the 500 Foot Law.
The permit application and fee may be filed with the Retail License Application or after the license application has been filed. You may not file the permit application before you apply for the license. You should contact the Authority to find out if there are any disqualifications against the location prior to filing. Once the application for the Temporary Retail Permit is filed, the Authority will review the licensing history of the location and all principals as well as fingerprint results for each principal and determine if a temporary application can be approved.
Please note that the fee for the Temporary Retail Permit is NON REFUNDABLE.
Applicants for a liquor store license, wine store license and on-premises liquor license cannot be on the same street and within 200 feet of a school, church, synagogue or other place of worship.
Applicants for an on-premises liquor license may not be able to obtain a license if their establishment is within 500 feet of three or more existing establishments.
Permit FAQ's
You may apply for a Catering Permit. This permit authorizes an on-premises licensee (other license categories do not apply) who is serving food and beverages at an event located off the licensed premises to sell and/or serve alcoholic beverages allowed by their license at the event. The fee for the permits is $48 per bar/day.
Note: The Catering Permit is also available to a Club licensee with some additional restrictions.
You have two options that will allow alcoholic beverages to be served at your function or event:
(a) You can apply for a Temporary Beer & Wine Permit (also referred to as a “TPA”); however, you cannot serve liquor under this permit. The fee for a TPA is $36 per bar/day.
(b) You can hire a licensed caterer to provide the food and alcoholic beverages at the event.
Alcoholic beverages being picked up or delivered in this state must be shipped by a company with a trucking permit. Trucking permits are available to cover an individual vehicle or an entire fleet of vehicles.
If a licensee is delivering alcoholic beverages, it may do so in a vehicle that is owned/hired and operated by the licensee. A copy of the license must be kept in the cab of the vehicle.
There are two ways that alcoholic beverages can be auctioned.
(a) If you are a bona-fide charitable, religious, educational, or civic group, you can auction donated alcohol for fundraising purposes. You must apply for a Charitable Permit to auction no more than 80 cases of wine, in sealed containers.
(b) A package store licensee (who has held the license for at least ten years) can obtain a permit to sell wine and liquor at auction. The alcoholic beverages must have come from a non-licensee’s private collection and must be clearly identified as coming from a private collection.
BIO
Arelia Taveras, J.D.
Arelia Taveras is the Executive Director for the NYS Latino Restaurant, Bar & Lounge Association.
Along with her senior role in the organization’s strategic planning, she is the CEO of NY Business Licensing, a boutique office specializing in Liquor Licenses and Sidewalk Cafes for restaurants, bars and lounges. She guides business owners from the initial construction plans of a premise to the operational needs of the business.
Ms. Taveras is a Member and Secretary of the NYS Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce in New York City, where she works with Hispanic business owners on issues of trade/commerce in their selected industries.
Ms. Taveras has a Juris Doctor in Law from Cardoza School of Law and a Bachelors in Business Administration.