If you either have a business or are about to start a new one and wish to obtain a business alcohol license in Dallas, TX, it’s important you know about the processes you must go through to get such a license and the various types of alcoholic beverage licenses that are available to you. Texas, like every state in the nation, has its own laws regarding the sales of beer, wine and liquor, and it’s important to make sure you apply for the correct alcoholic beverage license for your particular needs to be able to legally sell those beverages.

Here’s just a little bit of information about selecting an alcoholic beverage license and getting through the process of applying for a business alcohol license in Dallas, TX.

Choose the right license

Every state has its own alcoholic beverage control agency or office that is in charge of managing all licensing, distribution and production of alcohol in the state. For Texas it’s the TABC. Nationwide, these processes are controlled by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Exactly what you need to do with regard to your liquor license will depend primarily on your state’s rules, so it’s important you are familiar with all the local alcohol laws in your area as a business owner.

Some examples of the most common types of alcoholic beverage licenses include the following:

• Manufacturer: A company that performs the actual manufacturing of wine, beer or spirits.
• Wholesaler: A company that sells these alcoholic beverages to other TABC-licensed businesses for them to resell.
• Off-premises retailers: Retailers that sell alcoholic beverages for drinking off the premises, such as grocery stores or liquor stores.
• On-premise retailers: Retailers that sell alcoholic beverages and allow people to drink them on their premises. These include restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels, concert halls and other types of event venues.

In Texas, as in some other states, the lines can get blurred a bit with regard to certain breweries and distilleries that want to be able to sell and serve their own alcohol on site. Long-established rules regarding distributors and wholesalers can make it difficult for, say, a craft brewery to open up its own tap room on its premises, because they are required to use distributors to a certain degree. This is not a problem in many other states around the country, because these so-called “middleman rules” don’t exist.

With all these factors to consider, it can be a little difficult to know exactly which type of liquor license you should get for your business, especially if you have to deal with any of those blurred lines. In some cases, it’s easy—traditional liquor stores will always get the same kind of license—but the rules always get a bit more complex when you combine manufacturing and serving or selling.

To learn more about the steps you need to go through to obtain a business alcohol license in Dallas, TX, we encourage you to contact LaBarba Permit Service with any questions. We’ll be happy to help!