Type 47 Liquor License in Los Angeles County for Restaurants
Holding a Type 47 liquor license in Los Angeles is half the job. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) issues the license. The City of Los Angeles also requires its own conditional use approval before alcohol is sold to the public. That approval is commonly a Conditional Use Beverage, or CUB; eligible sit-down restaurants can use the Restaurant Beverage Program instead.
Liquor License Agents helps Los Angeles County restaurant owners, buyers, and sellers work through both tracks.
What A Type 47 Lets A Los Angeles Restaurant Sell
ABC names the Type 47 "On-Sale General - Eating Place" and issues it to restaurants. The statewide Type 47 rules are the same across the county:
- Beer, wine, and distilled spirits may be sold for consumption on the licensed premises.
- Beer and wine may also be sold for consumption off the licensed premises.
- The premises must run as a bona fide eating place with suitable kitchen facilities and "actual and substantial sales of meals".
- Minors are allowed on the premises.
- Alcohol servers and their managers must be Responsible Beverage Service certified.
Local approvals can narrow those privileges. The City's Restaurant Beverage Program terms for an Alcohol Sensitive Use Zone prohibit distilled spirits sold by the bottle, portable bars, live entertainment, karaoke, disc jockeys, and dancing. City Planning calls the general version very similar, but the zone version adds outreach, a one-year provisional period, and a cap on gross annual alcohol sales of 45 percent of total sales.
Which Local Route Fits A Type 47 Liquor License In Los Angeles
Inside the City, a sit-down restaurant has two main routes, and the address decides which are open. Program eligibility is shown by parcel on ZIMAS. Parts of the Downtown Community Plan have their own Alcohol Sales Program instead.
| Point | Stand-Alone CUB | Restaurant Beverage Program |
|---|---|---|
| Code section | LAMC 12.24 W.1 | LAMC 12.22 A.34 or 12.22 A.35 |
| Public hearing | Held for every new request | None |
| City's stated timing | At least six months to the Letter of Determination | One month for planning approvals |
| Base filing fee from February 23, 2026 | $19,418 | $2,207 |
| Seats and hours | Hours proposed by the applicant | 10 to 150 seats, 7:00 am to 11:00 pm |
Both are base fees before City surcharges. The program is open only to restaurants holding a Type 41 or Type 47, so a beer and wine operator with a Type 41 license faces the same choice.
In unincorporated areas, Los Angeles County Code 22.140.030 governs alcoholic beverage sales. Its Conditional Use Permit findings include no adverse effect on a place of religious worship, school, park, or playground within a 600-foot radius.
How Liquor License Agents Works On A Los Angeles Type 47
The license itself is limited in number. ABC accepts applications for new general licenses once a year, and for 2026 it authorized 25 new and 25 intercounty on-sale general licenses for Los Angeles County. That filing window ran from September 14 through September 25, 2026. Outside it, ABC says the only route is to purchase an existing license of the same type within the same county. For a restaurant in that position, we:
- Review the concept, site, and floor plan against the program's seat limits.
- Advise whether to wait for a priority filing or buy a California liquor license already issued in the county.
- Help with valuation, negotiation, and escrow coordination. State law requires the full purchase price to be deposited in escrow and paid only after ABC approves the transfer.
- Prepare the ABC application, diagrams, and disclosures.
- Coordinate with City Planning's Beverage and Entertainment Streamlining Unit or county planning staff on conditional use permit filings.
- Follow ABC's review and help answer questions, protests, or proposed conditions.
Los Angeles Type 47 Restaurant License FAQs
1. Which ABC district offices cover Los Angeles County restaurants?
ABC splits Los Angeles County among four district offices. LA/Metro is at 888 S Figueroa Street, Suite 320; Van Nuys at 6150 Van Nuys Blvd., Room 220; and Lakewood at 3950 Paramount Blvd., Suite 250. The Monrovia office is closed to in-person visitors and is listed at 12750 Center Court Dr., Suite 720, Cerritos.
2. What did the 2026 priority round cost a Los Angeles County applicant?
ABC charged $19,840 to file for a new original general license in 2026 and $7,515 for a priority intercounty transfer. Where applications exceed licenses, ABC holds a drawing, and successful participants have 90 days to complete a formal application for a specific premises.
3. Can a Type 47 from another county be moved into Los Angeles County?
Only through the yearly intercounty priority allocation, which was 25 on-sale general licenses for Los Angeles County in 2026. Under Business and Professions Code 24070, a license moved between counties cannot, with limited exceptions, be transferred to another person for two years, and its price is capped at the original fee for five years.
4. What happens when I find a Type 47 liquor license for sale in Los Angeles County?
The purchase goes to ABC as a transfer application signed by both the present licensee and the buyer. Before filing, a notice of the intended transfer is recorded with the county recorder and an escrow is opened. Under ABC's 2026 fee schedule, a person-to-person transfer that includes a general license costs $1,565.
5. Does the City of Los Angeles inspect a restaurant after it starts serving alcohol?
Yes. City Planning states that alcoholic beverage establishments are subject to two proactive inspections during the first five years of operations: the first within 24 months of the start and the second within 36 months of the first inspection.
6. When does an unincorporated Los Angeles County site need a public convenience or necessity finding?
County Code 22.140.030 requires that finding when the use sits in a high crime reporting district or an area of undue concentration under the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Act. The same section lets the County condition the days and hours of alcohol sales, live music and dancing, and happy hour specials.
If you are planning a full-bar restaurant in Los Angeles County, call (800) 799-9081 before you commit to a lease. Tell us the address and the seat count. We will go over which local approval applies.