Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Wholesale Malt Beverage and Wine License

Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) are adopted, repealed and amended by the Oregon legislature and signed into law by the Governor.  
 
Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) are implemented by the OLCC. These regulations are proposed by, adopted, repealed and amended by the OLCC.

ORS 471

  • See section .001 for definitions of Malt Beverage and Wine
  • See section .023 for the definition of Cider
  • See section .155 for Privilege Tax Bond requirement
  • See section .235 for the Wholesale Malt Beverage and Wine license

ORS 473

Wine, Cider and Malt Beverage Privilege Tax


Privilege Tax
You are responsible for reporting to the OLCC the amount of any malt beverages, wine and cider you import into Oregon.  You may be required to pay a tax on these malt beverages, wine and cider.
 
Privilege Tax Bond
You will be required to maintain a privilege tax bond with the OLCC.  More information is available at: https://www.oregon.gov/olcc/Pages/privilege_tax.aspx

  • Contact the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to determine what you need to do to comply with Federal laws. 
  • You must have an address in Oregon where you will do business. 
  • You must currently own, lease, or rent the business property or you must be in the process of purchasing, leasing, or renting the property. You may make any purchase, lease, or rent agreement contingent on obtaining a liquor license. 
  • Determine whether your business will be a sole proprietorship or some form of legal entity (such as a corporation or limited liability company). If you are a legal entity you must be registered to do business in Oregon with the Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division
  • If you will offer lottery games (including video poker) contact the Oregon Lottery Commission
  • If you will make, warehouse, or sell at retail beer or wine for drinking on site, the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Division may require a license. 


Important Update: Local Government Recommendation Requirement

What is changing?
Effective immediately, we are accepting applications with either:

  • valid proof of submission of the OLCC Liquor License Application to the local government, or
  • the final recommendation from the local government


What is valid proof of submission from the local government?
Each local government processes applications in a unique way per its city or county ordinances. Your proof of submission MUST include these key pieces of information:

  • Date the local government received the application
  • Trade Name of the business
  • Premises street address (where the business will be located)
  • Name of the local government (city or county name)
  • That the submission is for a Liquor License


How do I submit my application to the OLCC?
Once you receive proof of submission from your local government, you may submit that proof along with your complete application to: OLCC.LiquorLicenseApplication@Oregon.gov

NOTE: For tracking purposes, please submit all materials at the same time, in the same email.


How do I find my local government?
To find the correct local government for your application, we recommend searching the internet for “Your City or County” + OLCC Liquor License. This will typically return a search result that will help guide you to the appropriate office in your jurisdiction.

Common departments for processing LGB recommendations include Planning & Development, Civic Life, or the Sheriff’s Office; however, each local government is different.

Liquor License Applicants within the City of Portland, click here: City of Portland.


What types of applications need a recommendation from the local government?
Local government recommendation is clearly explained on the Liquor License Application. This is a four-page application that is used for many situations, including, but not limited to New Outlets, Change of Ownership, and Change of Location.

Other license actions and Out-of-State permits do not require recommendation from the local government. If you do not see any requirement for local government recommendation on your application, you can ignore these instructions.


After completing the liquor license application and obtaining the recommendation from the local government:

Note: All submissions must be as a PDF file. Do not include any license fees at this time.

If you need help completing your application, email olcc.alcohollicensing@oregon.gov.




Please submit your complete application to olcc.LiquorLicenseApplication@oregon.gov

If you need help completing your application, or have additional questions, please e-mail olcc.AlcoholLicensing@oregon.gov.​