Skip to main content

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

Distillery License

Guide to Manufacturing and Wholesaling Distilled Spirits in Oregon 
This guide provides information on:

  • Becoming an Oregon Distillery Licensee
  • Exceptions to Licensing Requirements
  • How to Have Your Product in Oregon Retail Liquor Stores
  • Providing Tastings on Your Annually Licensed Premises
  • Having Your Product for Sale Directly to Retail Consumers
  • Obtaining a Special License to Provide Tastings at Temporary Events
  • Providing Tastings at a Full On-Premises Sales License
  • Assisting With Promotional Dinner Events
  • Providing Tastings in an Oregon Retail Liquor Store
  • Offering Samples of Your Product to Retail Sales Agents
  • Providing Tastings and Samples of Your Product to Industry
  • Obtaining a Full On-Premises Sales License from the OLCC
  • Providing Products & Services to a Nonprofit TSL Licensee


Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) are adopted, repealed and amended by the Oregon legislature and signed into law by the Governor.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 These regulations are proposed by, adopted, repealed and amended by the OLCC.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 definition of Distilled Liquor
  • See section .230 for the Distillery license

OAR 845, Division 5

  • See subsection 0431 for Qualifications for Oregon Distillery Licensee Providing Tastings of Distilled Liquor on the Distillery Premises or on Another Premises Owned or Leased by the Distillery

OAR 845, Division 6

  • See subsection 0452 for Requirements for Oregon Distillery Licensee Providing Tastings of Distilled Liquor on the Distillery Premises or on Another Premises Owned or Leased by the Distillery


No privilege tax bond requirement

  • 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, wine or distilled spirits 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.



A Special Event Distillery (SED) license allows an Oregon Distillery licensee to:

  • Provide tastings and sell drinks of some distilled liquor on the special event licensed premises.
  • If the licensee is a distillery retail outlet agent, sell factory-sealed containers of distilled liquor manufactured by the licensee for consumption off the licensed premises; however, only direct to consumers (not to licensees of the OLCC).

Fee: $10 per day
 
Special Event Distillery (SED) Application


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.