What should a license cost, if I must purchase one?
Prices of liquor licenses are governed by the marketplace, and are neither monitored nor regulated by the Board. In order to determine the cost of a liquor license in a particular area, you may wish to consult with Liquor License Auctioneers, or a real estate broker in that area.
Generally, a license is sold by its owner in conjunction with the building in which it is located. In cases where a license is sold separately, the cost is usually higher than when a license and building are sold as a package.
The filing fee paid to the Board for the transfer of a license depends upon the type of transfer: $650.00 for a transfer to a new entity (person to person), $550.00 to a different location (place to place) or $700.00 for a transfer to both a new entity and location (person to person and place to place).
A recent change to the Liquor Code added a new type of license, which may be issued by the Board for the purposes of economic development under highly regulated circumstances, which include seventy percent (70%) food sales and payment of a surcharge of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00), depending on where the license is to be located. Also, the place where the license is to be issued must be in a Keystone Opportunity Zone, an Enterprise Zone as designated by the Department of Community and Economic Development, or in a municipality that has approved the issuance of a license for purposes of local economic development.
