Apply for an Alcoholic Beverages Retail License

Alcoholic Beverages Retail License Applications in the City of Boston are processed by Boston Licensing Board ("BLB" or "Board").

The number of liquor licenses in the City of Boston is established by Massachusetts General Law. The availability of a license at any given time is fluid as licenses are routinely transferred between businesses if unrestricted, subject to the approval of the Board and the ABCC, or returned to the City of Boston upon the closure of a business if restricted. In short, the Board can only issue licenses pending availability.

The Board will hold a public hearing to consider any new application for a license. If the Board determines that there is a public need for the type of license at the proposed location and that the character and fitness of the applicant are such that the granting of the license would be in the interest of the common good, the Board will then look to whether there is an available license for which the applicant qualifies.

If you are seeking to purchase a transferable license on the open market that transfer must be approved by the Board and the ABCC and is subject to a hearing. The Board is not involved in the private market for the purchase of licenses other than to review and approve or deny the transfer application.

Complete the MA's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) new retail license application. Be sure to review the checklist provided on the first page of the application and gather all the requested documents. $200 filing fee is due to the ABCC at this time.

Please note the entire application process can typically take anywhere from 4 weeks to 12 weeks depending on the application type, components, and volume of applications.

The Boston Licensing Board will review and submit the ABCC application on your behalf. The completed application may be submitted on this form (Alcohol Petition Form).

• Application must be places in the order listed on the ABCC checklist
• Application should be submitted as one document in .pdf format.

Applications may be rejected if they are submitted incorrectly or if they are incomplete.

Reach out to the Office of Neighborhood Services (ONS) by phone at 617-635-3485 or email at ContactONS@Boston.gov to assist you with the community process requirements and schedule your community meeting(s).

Once the application is complete and the community process has been satisfied, the Board staff will schedule your petition/transaction for a hearing before the Licensing Board.

Licensing transaction hearings are typically held on the first and last Wednesday of the month.

New applications require a Legal Ad to be placed in the Boston Herald Newspaper (Public Notice). The Public Notice needs to be posted 10 calendar days prior to the hearing date.

• You will receive an email from Maria Farrell (Maria.Farrell@boston.gov) with a copy of the Legal Ad from our department for your review and approval. It is important for the Applicant to review the petition information on the advertisement for accuracy. If the notice is posted with errors then the Applicant will be required to pay for another advertisement and may be rescheduled for another hearing date.
• Next, you will receive an email with payment instructions the morning before the ad needs to run.
• You will have to pay $170 directly to the Boston Herald before 4:00 p.m. on the same day. Please note if this is not paid on time, your ad will not run and you will be moved to the next available hearing.

Abutters notifications are legally required for all new license applications via Certified Mail. You will have three (3) days from the date of the printed legal advertisement to send a copy of the printed Legal Ad to all your direct abutters via Certified Mail. See detailed instructions here.

Signature cards and return slips are to be sent to the Boston Licensing Board via email to Alcohol@boston.gov before your hearing.

The week before the hearing, you will receive a link to pay the Boston Licensing Board's $100 hearing fee. Once the fee is paid, the official hearing notice will be sent to the Applicant with the Zoom link for the hearing which can also be found on our main Licensing Board page under "Hearings and Meetings."

At the Board hearing, the Applicant or the Applicant's representative will present the business plan and concept to the Licensing Board.

The presentation should include:

• Business proposal and concept (ex. theme, type of venue, etc. )
  • Size of establishment
  • Type of cuisine or food that will be offered
  • Hours of opreations
  • Will there be takeout service? If so, what percentage of the business will be takeout?
  • Will a third-party delivery service (i.e. Uber, Doordash, etc. ) be utilized? If so, what will be the plan to prevent double parking, traffic build up, parking issues, etc.
  • The Manager must be a U.S Citizen, resident of the Commonwealth of MA, and familiar with the rules and regulations of the Boston License Board and the ABCC
  Wait for the Board to vote

  After the hearing, the Board will review the application and determine if there is a public need for a license in the proposed location. The Board vote is typically held on the first and last Thursday of each month and will usually occur the day after the transactional hearing.

  The Board may vote in the following ways:

  1. Granted (If the application is granted, it will be sent to the ABCC for final review and approval)
  2. Granted pending availability
  3. Rejected with prejudice (Applicant cannot reapply for another year at the same location)
  4. Rejected without prejudice (Applicant can reapply at any time)
  5. Deferred
  Wait for ABCC approval

  The Board will then send your application to the ABCC for review and final approval. Once the ABCC approves your application, they will send you and the Licensing Board an email with the approval notice.

  From there, The Licensing Board will contact you to complete the process including the submission of the following:

  • Building Inspection Certificate from Inspection Services Department;
  • Place of Assembly Permit (If capacity is over 49 persons) from Fire Prevention;
  • Copy of your Liquor Liability Insurance Declarations Page, and;
  • Licensing Board license fee
  Post the license and renew application

  If a license is granted and issued, the Licensee should post the license in a clear and conspicuous place at the licensed premise. A license is only valid for the year listed on the license. The Licensed Premise Unit will conduct random inspections of premises in the City of Boston for compliance with Licensing laws and the Board's Rules and Regulations. For more information on compliance and violation hearings, please see the tab named "Licensing Compliance."

  Renewal Application: Each year at the end of October, a renewal package will be mailed directly to the licensed premise. The Licensee is required to submit the renewal application as instructed in the package directions. The deadline is November 30th per MA State Law. Any License that is not renewed by November 30th will have to permanently close the premises at 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, reapply for a new License, attend a hearing, and obtain this Board and the ABCC’s approval prior to being eligible to be issued a license. Please note, if you allow your License to expire you have no legal right to a new License from the Board. This is State Law and no exceptions can be made. For more information on the renewal process, please review the tab named "Renew a Retail License."