Chandler Liquor Licenses For Restaurants, Bars, and Retailers

Chandler liquor license work starts from one of three places: launching a new concept, acquiring a business that already holds a license, or selling a business and passing its license on. In each case the regulator is the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control (DLLC), which issues licenses under Title 4 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, but what you need to watch for changes with your starting point.

Opening a new Chandler concept

Begin with the series, because it governs what you may serve, who may enter, any food revenue requirement and whether the license can ever be sold. It also has to suit your space, how you make money and the site's zoning. Some concepts can take the non-quota route, filing straight with the DLLC, free of any population cap: Series 12 (restaurants meeting the 40% food revenue threshold), Series 11 (qualifying hotel or motel properties), Series 10 (grocery and convenience store beer and wine) or Series 1 (Arizona breweries, wineries and distilleries). Application and yearly fees for these run from a few hundred dollars into the low thousands.

Buying a business that holds a license

Full-liquor bars need a Series 6, beer-and-wine bars a Series 7 and liquor stores a Series 9, all quota licenses capped by Maricopa County's population. When the cap is reached, the routes are an annual DLLC lottery or a purchase, with prices in Maricopa County spanning the tens of thousands through several hundred thousand dollars by type and market. A quota license may move between owners and locations in the county once the DLLC approves, following a background review, ownership and funding disclosures, and accurate premises records. We read the license for conditions limiting hours, entertainment or where alcohol may be served, and we keep escrow and transfer milestones in step.

Selling with the license included

When the license is part of the sale, its transfer has to run alongside the deal. Every Chandler application spends 20 days publicly posted at the premises and is reviewed by Chandler's governing body, which can attach conditions covering hours, security, parking, entertainment, or nearness to schools and homes. For a complete standard application, the DLLC's stated target is 65 to 105 days.

Whichever place you are starting from, a Chandler consultation can confirm your series, flag likely local conditions and set out the steps that will drive your timing.