Essex County Liquor Licenses for Sale

Types of Essex County Liquor Licenses

As a business entrepreneur in Essex County, New Jersey, it’s important to obtain a liquor license in Essex County so that you can serve or sell alcoholic beverages to your customers. In northeastern New Jersey, Essex County boasts a large population of close to 864,000 people. Most of the county’s residents live in Newark, NJ, the largest city in Essex County, which also happens to be the county seat. Many of these locals and travelers enjoy visiting sights like The Newark Museum of Art, The Montclair Art Museum, Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, and Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Many events and festivals take place in Essex County, New Jersey all-year-round drawing a crowd to the area.

To sell or serve liquor at your Essex County business legally, we offer online Essex County liquor license auctions for the following permit types:

• Type 32: Permits restaurants, 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 Essex County.
• Type 33: Permits restaurants, 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 Essex County, New Jersey.
• Type 44: Permits liquor stores & grocery stores to sell all liquor sales -- beer, wine, and spirits -- for off-premises consumption in Essex County, NJ.

Each New Jersey liquor license grants the holder the right to sell in a specific New Jersey municipality or borough, such as Newark. Liquor licenses are not transferable between municipalities or boroughs. However, they are transferable between owners, which means you can legally buy or sell any Essex County alcohol license issued in your municipality or borough.

How to Buy an Essex County Liquor License

There are two options for procuring a liquor license in Essex County, NJ. The first option is to secure an alcohol permit directly from the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). The alternative route is to obtain an alcohol license in Essex County through the open market by using a liquor license broker, like Liquor License Auctioneers.

In New Jersey, there are caps on the number of liquor licenses that each county, township, and borough can have available. Most often, an Essex County liquor license will have to be purchased using a liquor license broker on the secondary market through one of the following three transfer options: Person-to-Person, Place-to-Place, or Person-to-Person and Place-to-Place. In most cases, the buyer will usually have to wait until a seller is able to sell a liquor license to them in Essex County, NJ.

This is our sweet spot. At Liquor License Auctioneers, we have the only online auction platform that has exclusive Essex County liquor licenses available to place a bid on and purchase. Over the years we’ve been in the business, we have maintained relationships with numerous lawyers and business professionals. These connections give us the ability to offer Essex County alcohol licenses that no other brokerage can sell. This exclusivity allows us to ethically price our alcohol permits in Essex County, NJ. Let us know if you are looking for a specific type of Essex County liquor license for sale, and we will be able to locate one for you utilizing our network of connections. 

How to Apply for a Liquor License in Essex County, New Jersey: 

1. Enter into a Contract of Sale: The first step of the application process for an Essex County liquor license is for the buyer (transferee) and the seller (transferor) to enter into a contract of sale.
2. Complete the 12 Page ABC Application: Submit the 12 page New Jersey Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Application in TRIPLICATE with all original signatures.
3. Pay the Annual License Renewal Fee: To apply for an Essex County liquor license, you must pay a 10% Annual License Renewal Fee for Person-to-Person alcohol license transfers and Place-to-Place Essex County alcohol permit transfers. A 20%  Annual License Renewal Fee is required for Person-to-Person and Place-to-Place transfers.
4. Write a $200 Check or Money Order for ABC: A check or money order of $200 must be made payable to the State of NJ, Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. 
5. Consent to Transfer: The liquor license holder must notarize and sign the Consent to Transfer or consent of sale for the Essex County alcohol permit.
6. Disclosure Statement of Applicant: As part of the ABC Application for an Essex County liquor license, The Disclosure Statement of Applicant (source funding) must be included.
7. Submit Federal & State Fingerprint Reports: The federal and state fingerprint reports from the police must be sent to the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).
8. Additional Investigative Report: The additional investigative report must be conducted by the police, who will then write up a report that you can submit along with the ABC Application for an Essex County alcohol license.
9. Send a Detailed Sketch of the Business Premises: Submit a detailed sketch of the business location and proposed licensing area. Also, be sure to include a photo of the outside of the business when you send in the ABC Application.
10. Affidavit of Publication: A Notice of Intent to Transfer will be published two times in three weeks, with one week in between each publication. This Affidavit of Publication allows the public to have an opportunity to voice objections that they may have to the Essex County liquor license transfer. If any objections are made, they are sent over to the clerk of the local issuing authority in writing.
11. Submit a Certificate of Sales Tax Authority: The Essex County alcohol permit buyer must send in the Certificate of Sales Tax Authority and attain the Alcoholic Beverage Retail Licensee Clearance Certificate for Transfer. The New Jersey Division of Taxation ABC Licensing Unit may be contacted at 609-292-0043.
12. Application for Bulk Sale Permit: The buyer has the option to purchase the existing liquor inventory from the current alcohol permit holder. If they decide to purchase the alcohol inventory, the buyer must write a check for $75.00 made payable to the NJ Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control and include it with the NJ ABC Application. If the buyer doesn’t agree to purchase the existing inventory of alcohol, then they don’t have to write a check, but the Application for Bulk Sale Permit must be submitted.
13. Provide a Letter from the Buyer’s Attorney: A letter will be written by the buyer’s attorney that notifies the local issuing authority of the closing date for the sale of the Essex County liquor license.
14. Resolution of Transfer: As part of the New Jersey Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Application for an Essex County alcohol license, the Resolution of Transfer will be passed by the issuing authority and may not be contingent on another action.
15. The License will be Amended to Reflect New Ownership: The Essex County liquor license will now be amended to reflect the new ownership and generation change. This information will also be reflected on the ABC Application. Make checks out to the Director, Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Follow these eight steps with the help of Liquor License Auctioneers to secure your Essex County liquor license.

1. Secure the location: Lease, rent, or purchase the location where you will operate your business and sell or serve alcohol.
2. Select your liquor license: Determine which type of Essex County liquor license you need for your business. Then, choose which way you will obtain an alcohol permit - either from the NJ Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) or from a liquor license broker, like Liquor License Auctioneers, on the secondary market.
3. Open your escrow account: An escrow account created by a third party will be used to hold the financial transactions associated with the Essex County liquor license purchase and transfer. 
4. Survey the location: The business location must be surveyed. You can hire a contractor or use our liquor license brokers to complete this step for you.
5. Complete your ABC Application: After the ABC Application is completed, send it to the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) along with the required documents and forms. The Division of ABC will review and approve the ABC Application for an Essex County liquor license. Our expert liquor license brokers can help you complete the NJ ABC Application.
6. Post a notice: If the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) approves your ABC Application for an Essex County alcohol permit, they will mail you a notice of intent to sell alcohol. This notice from the Division of ABC must be prominently displayed at your business for a total of 30 days.
7. Submit to investigation: After the 30 days have elapsed, the NJ ABC will come to your business location to conduct a final inspection of the premises to make sure that it is conducive to selling alcohol.  
8. Receive the liquor license: If the NJ ABC approves the inspection of your business establishment, they will send the official Essex County liquor license to you in the mail. When you receive the official alcohol permit, you are required to post it at your business location.

Adhering closely to the previous eight steps to secure an Essex County liquor license will ensure that you have met the requirements set by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) in New Jersey. It’s always recommended that you check with your municipal government to see if they have any additional regulations or stipulations for obtaining a liquor license in Newark, NJ. 

Many businesses compete for liquor licenses in Essex County, such as liquor stores, grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. To ensure that you will be able to secure an alcohol license in Essex County for your place of business, you can trust our experienced liquor license brokers to help you purchase an alcohol permit for your business. Our knowledge of the industry, exceptional customer service, and ethical business practices sets us apart. Our online auction platform has exclusive alcohol licenses for Essex County at fair prices. We’ll even track a specific type of liquor license down for you if you don’t see it listed on our bidding platform. See all of our available Essex County liquor licenses for sale, and make an offer now.