About liquor licenses
Summary
You're probably interested when an establishment near you gets a liquor license. In this section of EveryBlock, we publish information on new liquor licenses in San Francisco — or when anything changes regarding existing licenses near you.
This data comes from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. For every liquor license status change, we publish the name and address of the establishment, the date the status changed, the primary owner, the license number, the license type (caterer, beer and wine importer, etc.), the license status and the requested action.
The last category is important. It explains what the applicant was seeking — a new license, a license transfer between two parties, a second copy of a license, etc.
Source
The data comes from the daily reports published by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. We at EveryBlock retrieve the reports and publish them each day.
What else should I know about liquor licenses?
The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control offers a License Query System that allows you to check its database by license number, business address, licensee name, or business name. Each status change record in EveryBlock links to the complete record for the license in the department's system. This record contains additional information, such as disciplinary history and a complete list of all licenses for the location.
See the licensing page for information on obtaining a liquor license. License processing time averages 75 to 90 days, including the notification of local officials, posting periods, documentation requests and so on. Longer waiting periods are sometimes required.
Note that a single premise may have multiple licenses. For instance, in order to have an event at a restaurant that sells alcohol, an On-sale beer and wine (eating place) and an Event license may be necessary. In this instance, ABC considers the first license to be the main, or "master" license. The records on EveryBlock focus on the license that had the recent status change.
To make a complaint about a location that already has a liquor license, complete form ABC 099-E, Complaint Against Licensee. Form ABC 099-L, Citizen's Log of Disruptive Activity may be useful in organizing your thoughts and building a case against a license. Complete Form ABC 510-A, Protest Against Alcoholic Beverage License Application when the license is under consideration by the ABC.
