How do I get an ABC permit for a restaurant or grocery store in North Carolina, and what does it cost?

The state ABC Commission issues every retail alcohol permit. Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) investigates the applicant and the premises. The city or county signs two local forms and can object. Once you have a state permit number, you also get a county (and sometimes city) beer and wine license.

In practice, one permit means dealing with several offices:

• NC ABC Commission: takes applications, issues permits and handles annual renewals and registrations (G.S. 18B-901(a)).
• ALE, part of the NC Department of Public Safety: helps investigate applicants and premises before a new permit issues, and forwards fingerprints to the SBI and FBI for background checks (G.S. 18B-902(b)).
• City or county government: has 15 days after the Commission's notice to file a written objection, which must state the facts behind it. A designated official signs the Local Government Opinion form, and building, fire and zoning officials sign the Inspection/Zoning Compliance form (G.S. 18B-901(b), (c)).
• Local ABC board (for example, the Wake County ABC Board): runs the liquor stores. A mixed beverages permittee must buy all of its liquor from its designated local ABC store.
• County and city beer and wine licenses: Wake County requires a Beer & Wine License from its tax office before you start selling. Raleigh requires a city license on top of that. Cary doesn't require a town license, which G.S. 105-113.71(c) allows, but you still need the Wake County one.

One more gate: a permit can only issue where local elections have approved that kind of sale (the "legal sales area," searchable on the ABC website). Check this before you sign a lease.

It depends on what you sell and where it's consumed. If you sell only beer and wine, you need on-premises or off-premises permits. To serve cocktails or liquor, you need a mixed beverages permit, and you have to qualify as a restaurant, hotel, private club or bar.

In table ①, read from the top and follow the first row that fits; table ② lists two side branches that apply on their own.

① Main path

Your situation	What you can get	Fee and notes
The legal sales area does not allow this type of alcohol	That permit can't be issued	—
Allowed, you will sell cocktails or liquor, and you qualify as a restaurant (food and non-alcoholic drinks at least 30% of food, drink and on-premises alcohol sales, a kitchen and at least 10 indoor seats), hotel, private club or bar	Mixed beverages permit	$1,000, renewed yearly; usually alongside on-premises beer and wine permits
Allowed, you will sell cocktails or liquor, but you don't qualify (for example, a café or fast-food "eating establishment")	No mixed beverages permit, only beer and unfortified wine	—
Allowed, no cocktails or liquor, customers drink on site	On-premises malt beverage / unfortified wine	$400 each; also allow sales to go in the original container
Allowed, no cocktails or liquor, take-out only (grocery or convenience store)	Off-premises malt beverage / unfortified wine	$400 each

② Side branches

Your situation	What you can get	Fee and notes
You don't sell alcohol but let customers bring their own liquor or fortified wine	Brown-bagging	$400, or $200 for a restaurant with fewer than 50 seats
A one-time event (nonprofit fundraiser, going-out-of-business sale)	Special one-time permit	$50, apply at least 14 days ahead

Source: G.S. 18B-902(d), 18B-1000, 18B-1001, 2026 rules.

The most common setups:

• Full-service restaurant serving beer, wine and cocktails: on-premises malt beverage + on-premises unfortified wine + mixed beverages. To serve fortified wine, add an on-premises fortified wine permit ($400; available to restaurants, hotels, private clubs and bars, but not eating establishments).
• Café, bubble tea shop or fast-food spot: most don't meet the restaurant standard below, so they apply as an "eating establishment" for beer and unfortified wine. If the kitchen, seating and food-sales share all qualify, they can apply for mixed beverages as a restaurant.
• Grocery store, Asian market or convenience store (a "food business"): off-premises malt beverage + off-premises unfortified wine. An on-premises malt beverage permit is also available if you want customers to drink beer on site.
• Bar: a business mainly selling drinks for on-site consumption, typically beer and wine permits plus mixed beverages.
• Church or nonprofit fundraiser: a special one-time permit, $50, applied for at least 14 days before the event.

For mixed beverages and brown-bagging, a restaurant must meet the statutory definition (G.S. 18B-1000): sales of food and non-alcoholic beverages must be at least 30% of combined food, non-alcoholic beverage and on-premises alcohol sales, and it needs a kitchen and an indoor dining area with at least 10 seats. The 30% is measured from your books, and you have to keep meeting it after you open.

State fees are set by G.S. 18B-902(d): $400 for each beer or wine permit and $1,000 for mixed beverages, and they're nonrefundable. Fingerprint processing is $38 per applicant. Wake County's license runs $5–$25 per type each year. Cary has no town license. Check Raleigh's fee with the city.

• State application fees (current for 2026): on- or off-premises malt beverage, unfortified wine and fortified wine, $400 each. Mixed beverages, $1,000. Brown-bagging, $400, or $200 for a restaurant with fewer than 50 seats. Special occasion, $400. Special one-time, $50. Fees are not refunded (G.S. 18B-902(f)).
• Fingerprints: $38 for each person who has to qualify.
• Wake County Beer & Wine License (annual): on-premises beer $25, off-premises beer $5, on-premises wine $25, off-premises wine $25.
• Cary: no town license. Raleigh: a city license is required, one per location, applied for online only. The city's site doesn't list the fee, so confirm it with Raleigh before you apply. We can look it up for you.

For example, a Cary restaurant applying for on-premises beer, on-premises unfortified wine and mixed beverages pays $400 + $400 + $1,000 = $1,800 in state fees, plus $25 + $25 for the Wake County license and $38 per applicant for fingerprints. That doesn't include notary fees, building and fire inspections or health permits.

Other states use different agencies, fees and renewal cycles. If you're opening outside North Carolina, we can check the rules there.

Get the company, lease, EIN and state taxes in order first. The LLC or corporation must be active with the NC Secretary of State, the lease must be in the company's name, you need an EIN, and every NC state tax return must be filed and paid. Each applicant must be at least 21, be fingerprinted and complete seller/server training.

For an LLC, the ABC Commission's application checklist calls for:

• Company documents: Articles of Organization (active with the Secretary of State), a signed and dated operating agreement, a notarized Ownership Verification Form listing every member and percentage, and registered agent details.
• Premises: a lease or deed in the LLC's name, showing the address and term, with possession at the time you apply. Plus a floor plan and interior and exterior photos.
• Tax ID: the FEIN–SSN Verification Form (LLCs and corporations use the EIN).
• The two local forms: Inspection/Zoning Compliance and Local Government Opinion. Either one is rejected if the inspection or signature is more than 180 days old.
• Applicants: every LLC manager, every member owning 25% or more, and an on-site manager who is a North Carolina resident each submit an application, ID and fingerprint card. Each must be 21 or older, with no felony conviction in the past 3 years and no alcohol conviction in the past 2 years (G.S. 18B-900).
• Training: Responsible Alcohol Seller/Server (RASP) training has to be completed before a temporary permit issues. The Commission offers free online and in-person classes.
• Restaurants applying for mixed beverages or brown-bagging: also a menu, a price list of common mixed drinks, and photos of the dining areas, bar, alcohol storage and kitchen.

State tax compliance is a hard requirement. The law says applicants must be current on filing and paying NC state taxes. If the NC Department of Revenue reports that they aren't, the permit won't be issued or renewed (G.S. 18B-900(a)(8), (f)). Unfiled sales tax, payroll withholding or company state tax can all hold up an application.

There's no official start-to-finish timeline. What's confirmed: the Commission usually processes an application within 7–10 days of receipt, a complete and paid application can get a 90-day temporary permit by email, local governments have 15 days to object, and the two local forms expire after 180 days.

Work from the top in order; finish each step before the next.

Step	What to do	Note
1. Site	Check zoning and the legal sales area	Watch for a church or school within 50 feet
2. Company and taxes	LLC active, lease in the company's name, EIN in hand, state taxes filed and paid	—
3. Local forms	The city or county signs Inspection/Zoning Compliance and Local Government Opinion	File within 180 days of signing
4. Applicants	Fingerprints and RASP training	Fingerprints $38 each
5. File	By mail or at a scheduled in-person drop-off	The Commission usually processes it within 7–10 days
6. Temporary permit	Emailed when the application is complete and paid	Valid 90 days
7. Investigation and objection period	ALE investigates	The local government has 15 days to object in writing
8. Permanent permit	Then the county license (Wake) and city license	City license required in Raleigh, not in Cary

Source: ABC Commission Retail Permit Information; G.S. 18B-901, 18B-903, 18B-905, 2026 rules.

Where applications tend to get stuck:

• Local forms: building, fire and zoning inspections depend on the city or county's schedule, and this step often takes the longest. Once signed, the forms are good for 180 days, so line them up with the company, lease and fingerprint work.
• A temporary permit isn't a guarantee: it can be revoked immediately. If it isn't, it becomes a permanent permit when the 90 days run out (G.S. 18B-903(a)).
• County and city licenses come after: Wake County needs your ABC permit number, and you need the license before you start selling. Raleigh needs a temporary ABC permit before it issues a city license. Selling alcohol without an ABC permit is illegal.
• File a complete package, in checklist order: missing items delay processing.

Renew or register with the state and renew your Wake County license by April 30 each year. Keep alcohol invoices on site for 3 years. With a mixed beverages permit, keep monthly records that show food sales meet the 30% test. Collect sales tax on alcohol, 7.25% combined in Wake County.

Annual state fees (G.S. 18B-903):

• On- and off-premises beer and wine permits don't expire, but each one carries a $400 annual registration fee, due before May 1. Skip it and the permit is revoked.
• Annual permits such as mixed beverages, brown-bagging and special occasion run May 1 through April 30. The renewal fee equals the original fee, so $1,000 for mixed beverages.
• Pay after April 30 and there's a 25% late fee. Any permit not renewed by June 1 is canceled, and you have to reapply and pay the full fee. Renewal notices go out in February, and not receiving one doesn't excuse a late payment.
• Renewals are checked for state tax compliance too. If yours is on hold, you email the Commission a compliance letter from NCDOR.

Records (ABC audit rules):

• Every retail permittee keeps alcohol invoices and receipts on the premises for 3 years, separate from other invoices. Alcohol can't be bought on credit, and beer and wine must come from NC-licensed wholesalers. Missing records are a common violation in inspections.
• Restaurants with a mixed beverages permit keep monthly records of liquor purchases (dollars and quantity), mixed drink sales, liquor lost to breakage or theft, and sales of food and non-alcoholic drinks, beer and wine, and everything else. The 30% food test is figured from these records, so book food and alcohol sales to separate accounts.

Sales tax and other taxes:

• Retail sales of beer, wine and mixed drinks are taxed at the general rate, 7.25% combined in Wake County (4.75% state + 2.00% local + 0.50% transit, per the rate table effective July 1, 2026). Alcohol isn't "qualifying food," so the lower food rate doesn't apply.
• Alcohol excise tax is paid by wholesalers, importers and local ABC boards, not by retailers.
• If you hold a mixed beverages permit, the ABC store adds a $20 charge per 4 liters of liquor it sells you (G.S. 18B-804(b)(8)). Build that into your drink costs.
• Sales tax registration is free, and Form E-500 is filed monthly or quarterly depending on how much tax you collect. If you have staff, payroll and NC withholding need to be on time as well. All of this counts toward state tax compliance and can affect next year's renewal.

The sooner the company and taxes are in order, the faster the permit comes. Ideally, start before you sign the lease.

• Situation A: A new restaurant that wants beer, wine and cocktails. Check zoning and the legal sales area before signing. Sign the lease in the LLC's name, get an EIN and register for sales tax. Schedule building, fire and zoning inspections with the city or county, then file for on-premises beer, wine and mixed beverages. After opening, book food and alcohol sales separately every month.
• Situation B: A grocery or convenience store selling beer and wine to go. Apply for off-premises malt beverage and off-premises unfortified wine permits ($400 each). With your permit number, get the Wake County license (off-premises beer $5, off-premises wine $25), plus a city license if you're inside Raleigh. Pay the registration fees by April 30 each year.
• Situation C: Buying an existing restaurant or store. When ownership of 25% or more changes hands, or the business is sold, the old permit automatically ends. A qualifying new owner can notify the Commission in writing and file a new application within 60 days while continuing to operate under the old permit. Each location can use this only once every 24 months (G.S. 18B-903(c)).
• Situation D: A single event. For a nonprofit or political fundraiser or a going-out-of-business sale, apply for a special one-time permit ($50) at least 14 days before the event.