One of the State Liquor Authority's main functions is issuing licenses and permits. The licensing review process is dependent on the type of application or permit applied for, the current volume of applications, and the completeness and accuracy of the application submitted.  Any deficiencies in your application may result in delays or disapproval of your application.    

There are four main groups of liquor licenses:

• on-premises licenses (e.g., bars, restaurants, taverns, hotels); 
• off-premises licenses (e.g., liquor stores, wine stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores); 
• manufacturing licenses (e.g., breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries, meaderies); and
• wholesale licenses (e.g., beer wholesalers, wine wholesalers, importers).

Within each group are numerous types of licenses. Each license type has a different set of application requirements.

All on-premises, off-premises, manufacturing and wholesale applications are provided through New York Business Express as fillable forms.