Sonoma Liquor Licenses for Sale

Types of Sonoma Liquor Licenses

A desirable location to acquire a liquor license, Sonoma County mandates that all establishments seeking to serve or sell liquor must have a valid alcohol permit. Located in the San Francisco Bay area, Sonoma County is part of California’s wine country in Northern California, with over 350 wineries. Sonoma County’s largest city, Santa Rosa, is also the county seat. Every July and August, the Sonoma County Fair (Summer Fun Fest) takes place in Santa Rosa, CA. One of the main attractions in scenic Sonoma County is the Sonoma Coast State Park. 

No matter what type of business you need an alcohol permit for, we offer online Sonoma County liquor license auctions for the following permit types: 

• Type 20: Permits the sale of beer and wine for off-premises consumption in Sonoma, CA. 
• Type 21: Permits all liquor sales -- beer, wine, and spirits -- for off-premises consumption in Sonoma County, California. 
• Type 41: Permits restaurants to sell beer and wine for on-site consumption in Sonoma. 
• Type 47: Permits restaurants to sell all liquor -- beer, wine, and spirits -- for on-site consumption, as well as beer and wine "to go" for off-site consumption in Sonoma, California. 
• Type 48: Permits bars and nightclubs to sell all liquor -- beer, wine, and spirits -- for on-site consumption, as well as beer and wine "to go" for off-site consumption in Sonoma County, CA. 
• Type 57: Permits organizations, such as a veteran’s hall or golf course, to sell all liquor -- beer, wine, and spirits -- to members and guests for on-site consumption, as well as beer and wine "to go" for off-site consumption in Sonoma County.

Each California liquor license grants the holder the right to sell in a specific California county, such as Sonoma. Liquor licenses are not transferable between counties. They are, however, transferable between owners, which means you can legally buy or sell any Sonoma County ABC liquor license.

How to Buy a Sonoma Liquor License

Know your buying options for purchasing a liquor license in Sonoma County. You may either purchase one from the secondary market sold by liquor license brokers such as Liquor License Auctioneers, or buy it from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. 

With lots of competition in Sonoma County, known for all the wineries, there are limited amounts of liquor licenses in Sonoma, so most often, you must purchase an alcohol permit from a brokerage. Sometimes, you will have to wait for one to become available and for someone to sell a liquor license in Sonoma County.

This is where Liquor License Auctioneers can be of service to you. We’ve built quite a network of contacts, including lawyers and business entrepreneurs. With these connections, we are able to provide private liquor licenses that alcohol permit brokers don’t have the ability to sell. We can supply these Sonoma alcohol permits for auction at competitive prices that are unmatched.

With the assistance of our alcohol license brokers, you can accelerate the following eight steps to attain a Sonoma liquor license in no time. 

1. Secure the location: Lease, rent, or purchase a brick-and-mortar location where you’ll be selling or serving alcoholic beverages.
2. Select your liquor license: Assess the essential needs of your business to determine the type of liquor license you’ll want to acquire from an alcohol permit broker or the California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).
3. Open your escrow account: At this point, an escrow account should be opened with a separate company other than your alcohol permit broker. All financial transactions associated with the purchase of the liquor license will go through this account.
4. Survey the location: Use a general inspector or your professional liquor license brokers, such as Liquor License Auctioneers, to provide a thorough inspection of your brick-and-mortar location.
5. Complete your ABC Application: Submit your filled-out ABC application for review from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. We do offer the service to complete the ABC application.
6. Post a notice: Once the CA Department of ABC completes their approval process of the alcohol permit application, they’ll send you a notice of intent to sell or serve liquor which should be displayed for 30 days at your establishment.
7. Submit to investigation: Once the 30-day time frame has elapsed, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will conduct an inspection of the premises on which you’d like to sell or serve alcohol as well as review your abc application. If approved, you’ll be issued the Sonoma alcohol license.
8. Receive the liquor license: Once all seven steps have been completed to this point, the CA ABC will send you the Sonoma liquor license, which should be immediately displayed at your business location so that liquor sales can commence.

These eight steps outlined above will satisfy the requirements from the California Department of ABC when purchasing a Sonoma liquor license. However, you will need to check with your local municipality to see if there are specific zoning permits (CUP’s), stipulations, or any regulations when trying to purchase a liquor license in Santa Rosa or elsewhere in Sonoma County. Reach out to the local municipal government to be aware of these requirements, which will help keep the process moving along with minimal delays.

There is a lot of competition in Sonoma County for alcohol licenses. The more competition in Sonoma, the higher the prices for alcohol permits will be because there is greater demand for a limited number of liquor licenses in Sonoma, CA.  At Liquor License Auctioneers, we stand by our ethical business standards and take pride in the quality service we provide to our customers. Take a look at our available alcohol licenses for sale, and let us know if you are looking for a type of Sonoma liquor license that you don’t see on our website, we can normally locate it for you in a reasonable amount of time.