Eric Hirata, Director of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, announced authorization for the issuance of new on-sale general and off-sale general licenses and authorization for the intercounty transfer of on-sale general and off-sale general licenses.
This year, based on statutory authorizations and limitations, the following counties will be eligible for additional on-sale general and off-sale general licenses, as follows:
From September 14, 2020, through September 25, 2020, in counties where such licenses are available, applications for new original on-sale general and off-sale general licenses will be accepted at local ABC offices. During the same period, priority applications will be accepted for the intercounty transfer of on-sale general and off-sale general licenses, as authorized.
Only one priority application will be accepted from any one applicant per county for each type of license. A fee of $15,835 is to be paid when filing an application for a new original general license and a fee of $6,000 is to be paid when filing a priority application for the intercounty transfer of a general license.
If the number of applicants within a county for a particular type of license/transaction is equal to or less than the number of licenses available, all applicants will be notified that they have 90 days to complete a formal application for their specific premises.
If the Department receives more applications than there are licenses available, a virtual drawing will be held. To participate in such a drawing, an applicant must have been a resident of California for at least 90 days prior to the date of the scheduled drawing. Successful drawing participants will be notified that they have 90 days to complete a formal application for their specific premises.
Unsuccessful drawing participants will be automatically refunded their application fee (minus a $100 service charge) within 90-120 days of the priority drawing but will retain their priority ranking until a new priority list is established in 2021. Successful participants who file a formal application for a priority license who then decide to withdraw their application, will be entitled to a refund in accordance with Business and Professions Code Section 23320. Please note that B&P Section 23320 was amended as of July 1, 2019.
Applicants are encouraged to file their applications early in the filing period to avoid a lengthy wait.
In the coming weeks, additional information and instructions regarding applications for original and intercounty transfer of general licenses will be made available on the Department’s website.
