Skip to main content

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

General Overview of the Licensing Process


If your business deals with the importation, manufacture, distribution or sale of alcohol in Oregon, you need a liquor license. This information is designed to give you a general overview of the process to obtain an annual liquor license in Oregon.

Oregon has several types of liquor licenses. Each license type has it's own fees, privileges and requirements

License applicants must have an address in Oregon where the business will be located. Applicants must currently own, lease, or rent the business property, or be in the process of purchasing, leasing, or renting the property.

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.


Please follow the steps below to submit a Liquor License Application to the OLCC:

  1. Complete and sign the Liquor License Application.
  2. Submit the application to the Local Government first. Please review the information under “Local Government Recommendation” as this process has recently changed.
  3. Collect the proof of submission or final recommendation from the Local Government.
  4. Email the completed application as well as the Local Government proof of submission or final recommendation to OLCC.LiquorLicenseApplication@oregon.gov. Note: all submissions must be in PDF format.

Do not submit any fees with your license application packet (fees will be collected at a later time).

After the OLCC has accepted your liquor license application, it will be placed in the queue. Then it will be assigned to a License Investigator who will work with you to obtain any other required documents and process your application. Your assigned investigator may also be able to issue you a Temporary Authority to Operate during this time. If issued, this authority will allow you to immediately start exercising the privileges of the license while the OLCC completes its investigation.


Most OLCC investigations take four to eight weeks to complete. Investigations may take longer if: the business location has had problems with OLCC, police or neighbors; the applicant has a criminal history; the applicant has provided false information; and/or the applicant has a history of abusing drugs or alcohol.

If your application is approved, the OLCC will collect the appropriate license fee and issue the license. If the application is denied or restricted, there is a process to contest the decision. If you have additional questions, please email olcc.alcohollicensing@oregon.gov.




If you have additional questions, please contact your local OLCC office.