About liquor license status changes
Summary
This section of EveryBlock publishes a every change in the status of a liquor license in the city, as reported by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Where we get the data
The data is retrieved from the daily reports published by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).
How often we get the data
EveryBlock retrieves the reports daily.
About liquor license status changes in general
The ABC offers a License Query System (LQS) that allows you to query their database by license number, business address, licensee name, or business name. Each status change record in EveryBlock has a link to the complete record for the license in the LQS. This record contains additional information like disciplinary history and a complete list of all license for the location.
See the ABC's Licensing page for information on obtaining a liquor license. License processing time averages 75-90 days, including the notification of local officials, posting periods, documentation requests, and so on. Longer waiting periods are sometimes required.
Note that a single premises 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 was the subject of 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 (PDF). Form ABC 099-L, Citizen's Log of Disruptive Activity (PDF) 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 (PDF) when the license is under consideration by the ABC.