Community liquor permits

A community liquor permit (CLP) will allow you to sell or supply liquor or wine at a community event.

The permit has certain conditions, including restricting the days and times liquor or wine can be sold or supplied.

Community events that require a permit may include:

  • fetes
  • trivia nights
  • booths at sporting events
  • raffles, auctions, fundraisers or other sales.

Who can apply

You can apply for a CLP if you're a:

  • not-for-profit organisation
  • non-proprietary club
  • incorporated association
  • theatre group
  • licensed club wanting temporary approval to sell alcohol at a one-off event.

A CLP does not apply to other licensed premises or commercial public event permits.

Before you apply

Consider:

  • If you plan to serve alcohol between midnight and 10am, you must have endorsement from the Queensland Police Service before applying (find your local police station).
  • If your event will be held in a public place (e.g. a park or council venue), you must have local council or state landowner's endorsement before applying (find your local council).
  • If your event is high-risk, consider creating an event management plan.

Exemptions

Some events are exempt from requiring a CLP. For example, you don't need a permit for:

  • private events where free alcohol is provided
  • BYO events where no alcohol is sold or supplied by organisers
  • events held at licensed venues operating under an existing liquor licence—check with the venue in case the licensee needs to apply for a temporary change to the licensed area.

You can find out if your event is exempt when you start filling in the online form.

Apply now

Apply for a community liquor permit

You must lodge your application at least 21 days before the event.

We recommend you lodge it as early as possible to ensure we have enough time to seek more information, if needed.

Assessment process

In making the decision whether to grant your CLP and what conditions to impose, we consider what impact the sale or supply of liquor may have on public safety.

This will involve a risk assessment where your event will be categorised as low or high risk.

Low risk events are generally approved.

High risk events are often approved with further conditions.

Read Guideline 33: High risk community and commercial public events for more information on the assessment process.

Processing time

We can usually process low-risk permit applications within 2 weeks.

Where more information or supporting documents are needed, or if the event is considered high risk, processing time may take longer.

Event management plan

If you're holding a high-risk event, we recommend you create an event management plan to help ensure you protect attendees and the local community. An event plan is not required for a low-risk event.

Consider including the following items in your plan:

  • the purpose of your event and expected attendees
  • the site plan and movement of people and services within the site
  • the roles and responsibilities or key organisers, staff, services and contractors
  • any permits and insurance you need to obtain
  • the stakeholder consultation you've conducted
  • your promotions
  • the event logistics
  • health, safety and incident management responses
  • alcohol management and harm prevention
  • amenities at the event.

Also consider...