Liquor-related permits

If you already hold a Queensland liquor licence and want to change or extend your licence temporarily, you will need to apply for a permit or approval.

You may also need to apply for a permit if you are a non-proprietary organisation that wishes to serve alcohol temporarily or at a special event.

The following permits are available under the Liquor Act 1992 and the Wine Industry Act 1994.

Adult entertainment permit

You need to apply for an adult entertainment permit if you wish to offer sexually explicit entertainment in addition to serving alcohol on licensed premises. Read about adult entertainment permits to find out what adult entertainment is and when a permit is needed.

Extended trading hours (one-off)

Extended trading hours for licensed premises cease at either 2am (generally), 3am (for venues in safe night precincts) or 1am for restaurants and artisan producer licensees.

You can apply for one-off extended trading hours for:

• 4 dates in any 12-month period for pre-10am trading
• 6 dates in a calendar year for trading between 12 midnight and 5am.

Under section 5 of the Liquor Regulation 2002, an application for an extended hours permit must be made at least 21 days before the day of the event. Applications lodged with the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation less than 21 days before the event will not be processed.

Permits to trade between 12 midnight and 5am

Things to consider when applying for a post-midnight permit:

• Each of the 6 post-midnight permits can be for no more than 1 date in a calendar month.
• An exception may be made if you have a special occasion that runs over 2 or more consecutive days in a calendar month. In this situation, you may apply for a one-off extended trading hours permit for 2 or more consecutive days in that month. All consecutive dates within the same calendar month must be for the same special occasion. If 2 dates are approved, this will count as 2 one-off extended trading hours permits.

New licensees please note: The number of available permits in a calendar year is reduced, on a pro rata basis, based on when your new licence is approved. For example, if your new licence is approved on 20 April 2017, there would be 8 months left in that calendar year. This means that you would be able to apply for up to 4 permits before 31 December 2017.

Under the new legislation, a post-midnight permit will only be granted:

• for a special occasion for which a person—independent of the licensee, owner or occupier of the licensed premises—wishes to celebrate at the licensed premises
• and
• for the period of the special occasion and for a reasonable time period before and after the event.

The Act defines a 'special occasion' as either:

• a unique or infrequent special public event of local, state or national significance. Examples of special public events include a local music festival or a televised international sporting match involving an Australian team
• a private function closed to the public, such as a wedding or birthday.

New Year's Eve and Australia Day have been determined as special occasions by the Commissioner for Liquor and Gaming. Licensees who want to apply to extend their trading hours to any time between 2am and 5am on these days will not need to provide evidence of the request from an independent third party. However, you may only apply for 1 extended hours permit a month.

The Commissioner for Liquor and Gaming may only grant an extended trading hours permit that he believes satisfies the new criteria.

Catering off-site and commercial public event permit

If you hold an eligible liquor licence, you can apply for an endorsement to cater off-site at public and private functions that are organised by other people and held away from your licensed premises. This endorsement allows you to cater off-site at private functions without the requirement for a commercial public event or any other approval from the Office of Liquor and Gaming.

If you want to take it a step further to cater for public events away from your main premises, as well as the catering off-site endorsement, you must also have a commercial public event permit.

Wine permit

If you hold a wine producer or wine merchant licence and want to sell your wine at a one-off event, such as a festival or trade show, you can apply for a wine permit.

A wine permit allows you to:

• sell your own wine for consumption away from the place of permit
• and
• sell or give your wine as a sample for consumption at the place of permit

If you hold a wine merchant licence, your wine must be made only from fruit grown by you, the licensee, on your licensed premises.

If you hold a wine producer licence, your wine must be at least 85% made from fruit grown by you, the licensee, on your licensed premises; or at least 85% of which is made by you on your licensed premises.

Community liquor permit

Non-proprietary organisations or certain clubs can apply for a community liquor permit to serve alcohol at a one-off event, such as a festival, sporting event or fete.

Under certain circumstances, you may be exempt from this requirement. Complete the self-assessment to see if your organisation is eligible.

Learn more about community liquor permits or submit an application.

Restricted liquor permit

Non-proprietary organisations or clubs whose profits are used to promote the club and not distributed to members can apply for a restricted liquor permit if they wish to trade for a maximum of 10 or 25 hours a week for a period of 3 or 6 months.

Craft beer producer permit

If you are an interstate operator of a craft brewery that holds a licence equivalent to a Queensland producer/wholesaler licence, you may be eligible to apply for a craft beer producer permit to sell your craft beer at a promotional event (for a one-off occasion, or for regular occasions for up to 3 months). If you are a Queensland-based producer/wholesaler of craft beer you may apply for a craft beer producer endorsement.

Artisan producer permit

If you are an interstate operator of an artisan distillery that holds a licence equivalent to a Queensland producer/wholesaler licence or an artisan producer licence, you may be eligible to apply for an artisan producer permit to sell your liquor at a promotional event in Queensland (for a one-off occasion, or for regular occasions for up to 3 months).

If you are a Queensland-based producer/wholesaler or artisan liquor producer you may apply for an artisan liquor producer endorsement .

Also consider...

• Read the Tackling Alcohol-Fuelled Violence Legislation Amendment Act 2016.
• Learn more about compliance for liquor licensees.
• Read the Liquor Act 1992.
• Read the Wine Industry Act 1994.
• If you already hold a liquor licence you can use our online client portal to pay your licence fees and manage your licence details.