Form ABT-6001 is the application you file with Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (DABT) to obtain a new retail alcoholic beverage license, and the Florida liquor license application form ABT-6001 is the same whether you plan to open a bar, a restaurant, or a package store. The form itself is shorter than most applicants expect. The work is in the documents you attach, the outside approvals you collect first, and the background check every owner has to clear.
Pick Your License Type Before You Open the Form
The license type you check on ABT-6001 drives your annual fee, what you can sell, and whether you even have a shot at the license this year. Florida sorts its most common retail licenses into consumption on premises (COP) and package sales (APS, for sealed off-premises sales only).1Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Licenses and Permits
- 1COP and 1APS cover beer only.
- 2COP and 2APS cover beer and wine.
- 4COP through 8COP cover full liquor. These are quota licenses, capped by county population at one license per 7,500 residents, and the numeric prefix matches the county’s population tier.2Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 561.20 – Limitation Upon Number of Licenses Issued
- A special restaurant license (SRX) is a non-quota route to full liquor, open only to restaurants with at least 2,000 square feet of service area, seating for 120, and at least 51 percent of gross food-and-beverage revenue from food.
If you need beer and wine, a 2COP is straightforward: file ABT-6001, pay the fee, work the approvals. Full liquor is harder. New quota licenses come up only when population growth or a revocation puts one back in the pool, and DABT then holds a public random drawing; winners have 45 days from the mailed selection notice to file their application.3Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 561.19 – License Issuance Upon Approval of Division Most new 4COP holders instead buy an existing license on the private market, which uses a different form (ABT-6002), not the ABT-6001 covered here. The SRX is the usual path for new applicants who want full liquor without entering the quota market.
Documents to Gather Before You Start
DABT returns incomplete applications without review, so treat this as a checklist and finish it before you touch the form.
- Right of occupancy. A signed lease, rental contract, sublease, or warranty deed proving legal access to the premises. The document must be in the applicant’s name, not a parent company and not an individual if the license will be held by an LLC.4Cornell Law Institute. Florida Administrative Code 61A-5.010 – Applications; Transfer Fee
- Premises sketch. A floor plan of the entire premises marking where alcohol will be stored, served, and consumed. It does not need to be architect-quality, but an agent has to verify it during inspection.
- Sunbiz documentation. If the applicant is a corporation, LLC, or partnership, include the registration documents and a certificate of status from the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations. The entity must be active and in good standing.5Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Beer and Wine Consumption on Premises (2COP)
- Federal Employer Identification Number. Section 2 asks for the business’s FEIN. The IRS issues one at no cost through Form SS-4, available online with same-day processing.6Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR ABT-6001 Application for New Alcoholic Beverage License
- Fingerprint results. Every person with a direct or indirect financial interest in the business must submit fingerprints electronically through an approved vendor or on forms prescribed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. For non-public corporations, this includes every shareholder owning more than one-half of one percent of the stock. The vendor’s ORI number for DABT is FL920150Z. Fees vary by vendor.7Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 561.17 – License and Registration Applications; Approved Person8Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR ABT-6001 Application Packet for New Alcoholic Beverage License
Walking Through the Four Sections
ABT-6001 has four sections. Each has one or two places applicants reliably stumble.
Section 1 collects personal information for every individual involved in the business: sole proprietors, corporate officers, directors, managing members of an LLC, general partners, and any shareholder owning more than one-half of one percent of stock in a non-public corporation.8Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR ABT-6001 Application Packet for New Alcoholic Beverage License Each person’s full legal name, Social Security number, and residential address goes in. Collect every detail before you start the form. Chasing a minority shareholder for a Social Security number after you’ve filed is the most common avoidable delay.
Section 2 covers the license and business information: license type, business entity’s legal name as registered with the Florida Department of State, document number, and FEIN.6Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR ABT-6001 Application for New Alcoholic Beverage License The entity name must match Sunbiz exactly. A minor mismatch, such as an ampersand instead of the word “and,” can trigger a return.
Section 3 asks for details about the licensed premises, including the physical address and any trade name (DBA) you will operate under. Attach the premises sketch here.
Section 4 is the sworn statement. Every individual listed in Section 1 typically signs, attesting that the information is truthful and complete.
Outside Approvals You Must Line Up First
DABT will not process the application until several agencies that have nothing to do with the liquor division have signed off. This is where applications stall most often, because each agency works on its own timeline.
Local Zoning
Your county or city zoning or planning department must confirm the location is properly zoned for alcohol sales. Many municipalities impose distance requirements between alcohol outlets and schools, churches, or residential areas. Contact zoning early. Some jurisdictions take weeks to review, and a zoning denial kills the application entirely.
Health and Food Service
If your establishment serves food, you need health approval from one of two agencies. Traditional restaurants and bars that prepare meals fall under the Division of Hotels and Restaurants. Businesses serving food in a grocery store, convenience store, or delicatessen setting go to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services instead.8Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR ABT-6001 Application Packet for New Alcoholic Beverage License If you don’t serve food, this step doesn’t apply.
Department of Revenue Clearance
The Florida Department of Revenue must approve every new application.9Florida Department of Revenue. Alcoholic Beverage License Approvals Before clearance can be issued, you have to be registered for sales and use tax with an active business partner number and sales tax certificate number. Once registered, email the completed, signed application to GTA_Beverage_License_Approval@floridarevenue.com along with those numbers. The Department confirms you have no outstanding tax liabilities and forwards its approval to DABT.
Who Is Disqualified by Criminal History
Florida law bars certain individuals from holding a liquor license based on their criminal record. The lookback period depends on the offense:10Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 561.15 – Licenses; Qualifications Required
- Any felony conviction within the past 10 years under Florida, other state, or federal law.
- Any conviction within the past 5 years for violating the alcoholic beverage laws of Florida, another state, or the United States.
- Any conviction within the past 5 years for soliciting prostitution, pandering, letting premises for prostitution, keeping a disorderly place, or violating Florida’s controlled substance laws (Chapter 893) or equivalent state or federal drug laws.
These bars apply to the named applicant and to every officer of a corporate applicant. A conviction includes a guilty plea, a nolo contendere plea, or a forfeited bond. The Division can also deny or revoke a license if any interested person previously had a beverage license revoked or abandoned one after receiving notice of revocation proceedings. Disclosing a conviction does not automatically mean denial once the lookback period has passed. Failing to disclose one almost certainly does, because the background check pulls criminal history nationwide.
What It Costs
Annual license fees depend on the license type and the population of the county where the business sits. Florida splits counties into five population tiers, and fees rise with county size.11Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Annual License Fees For counties with more than 100,000 residents, Florida’s largest tier:
- 1COP (beer only, on premises): $280 per year.
- 2COP (beer and wine, on premises): $392 per year.
- 4COP (full liquor, on premises): $1,820 per year.
Smaller counties pay less. The COP fees above include a 40 percent surcharge built into the totals. When your application is approved but the permanent license has not yet been issued, DABT can grant a temporary license so you can start operating. The temporary fee is one-quarter of the permanent annual fee or $100, whichever is greater.12Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Beer, Wine and Liquor Consumption on Premises (4COP)
Where to Send It
Submit the completed packet (form, supporting documents, external agency approvals, fingerprint confirmation) to the DABT licensing district office that covers your business location. Florida has district offices in Tallahassee, Pensacola, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.13Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Contact You can deliver the packet in person or mail it. Include payment for the annual license fee at the time of submission. The printable application and instructions sit on the DBPR website through the online licensing portal, under the “Printable Application” link on the checklist page for the specific license type.5Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Beer and Wine Consumption on Premises (2COP)
What Happens After You File
Florida law gives the Division 90 days from receipt of a completed application to approve or deny it.14Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 120.60 – Licensing The word “completed” matters. If your application comes back for a missing signature or document, the clock does not start until you resubmit with everything in order.
During review, DABT runs background investigations on every interested party, verifies your corporate status and tax clearance, and matches the application against public records. If early review goes well, you may receive a temporary license and begin selling while the permanent license is finalized. Before the permanent license issues, a DABT agent inspects the premises in person, checking that the actual layout matches the sketch you submitted and that the location is ready to serve the public in compliance with state regulations. If the premises pass and the background check clears, the Division issues the permanent license and the temporary permit expires.3Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 561.19 – License Issuance Upon Approval of Division
Don’t Forget Federal Registration
The state license is not the whole picture. Separate from ABT-6001, every retail alcohol seller must register with the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) before opening.15Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Beverage Alcohol Retailers File TTB Form 5630.5d (Alcohol Dealer Registration) through the TTB’s Permits Online system, with a separate registration for each location. Plan for it alongside the state process so your opening isn’t held up by a federal step you didn’t know existed.