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Changing a liquor licence

As a Queensland liquor licensee, you can apply to change your liquor licence if your business needs change.

You might want to:

  • extend your trading hours temporarily or permanently
  • reduce extended trading hours
  • renovate your licensed premises
  • temporarily resize your premises
  • remove a detached bottle shop
  • permanently change another licence condition—e.g. the permitted noise level.

Temporarily changing your trading hours

Most liquor licensees can apply to extend trading hours temporarily, for a one-off occasion or event.

  • All licensees (except community—other licensees) can apply to temporarily extend trading hours before 10am. Alcohol must be consumed on the premises only.

    You can apply for the following extensions:

    • from 7 to 9am—for lawn bowls clubs, golf clubs or any community clubs that can demonstrate a need, or other licensees for bona fide functions
    • from 9 to 10am—for any licensee (except community—other licensees) who can demonstrate a need.

    Temporary extensions to trading hours before 10am will only be issued for 4 dates in any 1-year period.

    Read Guideline 46: Demonstrated community need for pre-10am trading for more information.

  • You can apply to temporarily trade between midnight and 5am.

    This extension is only available when someone other than the licensee, owner or occupier (i.e. an independent third party) wants to celebrate a special occasion at the licensed premises.

    The approval will only cover the special occasion and a reasonable time before and after it.

    Read Guideline 68: Late-night extended hours permit for more information on:

    • what's considered a reasonable time before or after the special occasion
    • the types of special events that don't need you to submit evidence with your application—for example, you don't need evidence of an independent third party's request if the special occasion benefits your customers.

    A temporary extension is only available for a maximum of 6 dates in a calendar year (inclusive of New Year's Eve and Australia Day) and can be used on only 1 day per calendar month.

    If the special occasion will run over 2 or more consecutive days in a calendar month, you can still apply for a permit to cover it, if it's for the same special occasion. If 2 dates are approved, this will count towards the maximum 6 annual dates you're allowed.

    For new licensees, the number of available permits in a calendar year is reduced depending on when your new licence is approved. For example, if your new licence was approved on 20 April, there'd be 8 months left in that calendar year, so you could apply for up to 4 permits before 31 December that year.

Fees

Find a list of liquor and wine licence fees, including the fees for temporarily changing your trading hours.

How to apply

You must apply for a temporary extension at least 21 days before the occasion or event. Applications lodged any later won't be processed. This is a requirement under section 5 of the Liquor Regulation 2002.

Online

Apply online to temporarily extend your trading hours

You will need the OLGR client portal access key we sent you in your initial approval letter. If you don't know your access key, contact us on 1300 072 322.

Using the offline form

You can complete one of these forms:

  • liquor licence application for one-off extended trading hours
  • wine licence application for one-off extended trading hours.

Lodge your completed form:

  • by email to OLGRlicensing@justice.qld.gov.au
  • in person—visit one of our locations.

Also consider...

  • Read more about applying to extend trading hours temporarily.
  • Read about Anzac Day, Easter and Christmas and New Year's Eve trading hours.
  • Learn more about compliance for liquor licensees.

Permanently changing your trading hours

Your approved trading hours for serving or supplying alcohol are on your liquor licence. You can apply to change them permanently.

  • All licensees (except community—other licensees) can apply to permanently extend trading hours before 10am. Alcohol must be consumed on the premises only.

    You can apply for the following extensions:

    • from 7 to 9am—for lawn bowls clubs, golf clubs or any community clubs that can demonstrate a need, or other licensees for bona fide functions
    • from 9 to 10am—for any licensee (except community—other licensees) who can demonstrate a need.

    To apply, complete one of these forms:

    • liquor licence—application for permanent extended trading hours
    • wine licence—application for permanent extended trading hours.

    Read Guideline 46: Demonstrated community need for pre-10am trading for more information.

  • Certain licensees can apply for the following permanent extensions to trade after midnight:

    • Restaurants and cafés can apply to extend their trading hours up to 1am.
    • Most licensees (except community—other licensees) can apply to extend their trading hours up to 2am.
    • Licensees in safe night precinct venues can apply to extend their trading hours up to 3am.
    • Commercial special facility licensees in airports or casinos only can apply to extend their trading hours up to 5am.

    To apply, complete one of these forms:

    • liquor licence—application for permanent extended trading hours
    • wine licence—application for permanent extended trading hours.
  • Takeaway liquor sales in hotels (including bottle shops), clubs and certain commercial special facilities are ordinarily permitted from 10am to 10pm (unless they were approved before 1 December 2010, in which case they end at midnight).

    To apply to start takeaway sales from 9am, complete the application to permanently extend takeaway liquor sales from 9 to 10am.

  • You can apply for extended trading hours on weekends (except if you're a community—other licensee).

    The options for weekend extended trading are:

    • before 10am on Saturday and Sunday
    • midnight to 1am, 2am or 3am Friday night/Saturday morning and Saturday night/Sunday morning.

    To apply, complete the application for extended trading hours on weekends.

    The annual fees for extended trading are less for weekend-only trade.

  • To reduce your extended trading hours, complete the application for a permanent variation of your licence.

    Note: if you want to reinstate your extended trading hours in future, you'll need to reapply.

Fees

Find a list of liquor and wine licence fees, including the fees for permanently changing your trading hours.

There are no fees to reduce your extended trading hours.

Lodging your application

You can lodge your application:

  • by email to OLGRlicensing@justice.qld.gov.au
  • in person—visit one of our locations.

What happens next

If your application is approved, the approval will be endorsed on your licence.

Your annual fees will be adjusted within 28 days of the approval.

Also consider...

  • Read more about applying to extend trading hours permanently.
  • To permanently change another condition of your liquor licence—e.g. the permitted noise level—apply for a permanent variation of your licence.
  • Learn more about compliance for liquor licensees.

Changing your licensed area

As a liquor licensee, you can apply to change your licensed area if your business needs change. For example, you might want to renovate your licensed premises or remove a detached bottle shop.

Renovating your premises

If you're planning to alter your premises without changing the licensed area description (e.g. remove a wall or lengthen a bar), submit an application to alter, rebuild or change the premises.

Permanently resize your premises

If you plan to permanently increase or decrease the licensed area, and/or alter or rebuild it in a way that will affect its description (e.g. remove a detached bottle shop or add a footpath dining area), submit an application to permanently change the licensed area.

Temporarily resize your premises

You can also apply to temporarily resize your licensed area—e.g. extend it to allow extra patrons to attend a one-off event, such as New Year's Eve or a community festival.

Any licensed area you want to extend must be adjoining your existing licensed premises.

Fees

Find a list of liquor and wine licence fees, including the fees for changing your licensed area.

Lodging your application

You can lodge your application:

  • by email to OLGRlicensing@justice.qld.gov.au
  • in person—visit one of our locations.

Also consider...

  • Read Guideline 35: Licensed areas.
  • Read Guideline 40: Application to alter, rebuild, change or increase the area of the licensed premises.
  • To permanently change another condition of your liquor licence—e.g. the permitted noise level—apply for a permanent variation of your licence.

Contact: General enquiries 13 QGOV (13 74 68)

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