Maine Liquor License: Types, Fees, and Application Steps

To sell spirits, wine, or malt liquor anywhere in Maine, you need a liquor license from the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations (BABLO). The class you apply for depends on whether customers drink on your premises or take the alcohol home, and whether you’re a restaurant, retailer, or manufacturer. Fees run from $220 for a wine-only retail license to $1,100 for a full on-premise license at a hotel or club, and on-premise applicants also need approval from their municipality before BABLO will issue anything. Selling without a valid license is a Class E crime carrying fines up to $1,000.¹²

Which License You Need

Maine’s licenses split first by where the alcohol will be consumed. On-premise licenses cover restaurants, bars, hotels, and clubs. Off-premise licenses cover retail stores, grocery stores, and convenience stores selling for consumption elsewhere. Manufacturers (breweries, wineries, distilleries) sit in their own category.

On-Premise

Class I: spirits, wine, and malt liquor served on-site. The standard full-service license for restaurants and bars.³
Class I-A: same scope as Class I but for larger venues such as hotels and clubs, with additional privileges and a higher fee.⁴

Off-Premise

Class III: wine only.
Class IV: malt liquor only.
Class V: spirits, wine, and malt liquor. A store selling spirits off-premise must operate as an agency liquor store licensed by BABLO.¹

Off-premise applications skip the municipal approval step that on-premise applications require. The state handles those directly.

Manufacturers and Caterers

BABLO issues separate licenses for breweries, wineries, and distilleries, including a small distillery license that permits production of up to 50,000 gallons of spirits per year. Licensed manufacturers can sell their own products for off-premise consumption straight from the production facility.⁵⁶

Qualified catering services can be licensed to serve alcohol at off-site functions. The caterer must earn at least 10% of gross annual income from food sales and file with BABLO at least 24 hours before each event, with no per-event fee beyond the annual license. Caterers can also apply for a self-sponsored event permit covering up to 100 events a year at their own facility.⁷

What It Costs

Fees are set by license class and paid when you submit your state application.

Class I (full-year): $900³
Class I-A (full-year): $1,100⁴
Class III (wine only): $220
Class IV (malt liquor only): $220
Class V (spirits, wine, malt liquor): $495

Part-time or seasonal licenses are available at reduced rates for businesses that don’t operate year-round. If you’re buying an existing on-premise business and need to keep it running during the transfer, a temporary on-premises license costs $100.

Documents to Gather Before You Apply

Pull these together before you open an application in BELLS, BABLO’s electronic licensing system.⁸

Federal Tax Identification Number and a Maine Sales Tax number from Maine Revenue Services.
Government-issued IDs for every owner, officer, and manager. BABLO runs background checks during the review.
Business formation documents: articles of incorporation, partnership agreements, or equivalent filings.
A floor plan showing where alcohol will be stored, served, and consumed.
Proof of occupancy, such as a signed lease or property deed.

The application asks for full disclosure of everyone with an ownership interest and the names and backgrounds of on-site supervisors. Incomplete or inaccurate answers are among the fastest ways to get denied, so check every field before you submit.

How the Application Moves Through the System

You file everything through BELLS. For on-premise applications, BELLS routes the file to your municipality the moment you submit.⁹

The municipal officers (selectmen or city council) may hold a public hearing on a new on-premise application or a location transfer. If a hearing is required, you pay the advertising cost; notice must appear in a local newspaper for at least three consecutive days before the hearing, or one week ahead in a weekly paper.¹⁰ The municipality has 60 days to act on a new on-premise application. If it doesn’t respond in that window, the application is automatically deemed approved and moves to BABLO. Grounds for denial include a serious criminal conviction, zoning violations, health or safety code problems, or a documented history of parking and traffic issues caused by patrons.

One prerequisite catches new applicants off guard: your municipality must have authorized alcohol sales through a local option vote, and BABLO will not issue a license without proof of that authorization. Most Maine towns have done so, but verify before signing a lease in a smaller community.

Once the municipality approves (or the 60 days lapse), BABLO’s Division of Liquor Licensing and Enforcement takes over. A division official may inspect your premises to confirm the layout matches your floor plan and meets safety requirements. State review typically takes several weeks after the local phase closes. Your license is not valid until BABLO emails you a copy. Do not start serving before that email arrives.¹¹

Renewal and the Expiration Grace Period

Every Maine liquor license is valid for one year from the date it was issued.¹¹ BABLO recommends filing your renewal through BELLS 60 to 90 days before expiration to leave room for local review.

Renewals are lighter than first-time applications. If you have held your license for five consecutive years without a complaint, you can ask the municipality to waive the public hearing entirely.¹⁰

Miss the expiration unintentionally and the law gives you a seven-day grace period during which you won’t be charged with illegal sales. But once BABLO notifies you that your license has expired, sales must stop immediately. Continuing to sell after that notice is treated as illegal sales under Title 28-A even if you’re still inside the seven days.¹²

Buying a Licensed Business

A liquor license does not travel with the sale of an on-premise business. The new owner has to apply for a new license through the standard process, including municipal approval. To keep the doors open during the transition, the buyer can apply at the same time for a temporary on-premises license. BABLO issues it unless the municipality objects, and it’s valid for 60 days or until a decision is reached on the full application, whichever comes first.⁹

Agency liquor store licenses work differently. The license transfers directly to the new owner on sale of the business, as long as the buyer is eligible under Maine law and the physical premises remain unchanged.¹³

Federal Permits for Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries

If you’re manufacturing alcohol rather than just selling it, a BABLO license alone isn’t enough. You also need federal approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), and you cannot begin production until TTB grants it. There’s no fee for the federal application, and most applicants file electronically through TTB’s Permits Online.¹⁴ Federal and state approvals run on separate tracks, and TTB processing can stretch to several months, so start both as early as possible.

Dram Shop Liability After You’re Licensed

A liquor license carries real legal exposure if your staff over-serves. Under Maine’s dram shop statute, a server who negligently serves alcohol to a minor or to a visibly intoxicated person is liable for damages caused by that person’s later actions. Negligent means the server knew or should have known the customer was underage or visibly intoxicated.¹⁵ A server isn’t expected to know what a customer drank before arriving, but obvious signs of intoxication put them on notice. Suits under the statute must be filed within two years.¹⁶

Liquor liability insurance matters here. One dram shop claim can sink a small business. BABLO also runs a free online seller/server certification course that trains staff to recognize intoxication and refuse service; completing it doesn’t eliminate liability, but it strengthens the defense if a claim comes.¹⁷

What Happens If You Sell Without a License

Selling alcohol in Maine without a license, or continuing to sell after your license has expired and BABLO has notified you, is a Class E crime. The maximum fine is $1,000 per offense, and Class E crimes also carry up to six months in jail.¹² On top of criminal penalties, BABLO can suspend or revoke an existing license for violations of Title 28-A.¹²

1
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A – Liquors
2
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 1704 – Maximum Fine Amounts Authorized for Convicted Individuals
3
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 1001 – Class I Licenses
4
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 1002 – Class I-A Licenses
5
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 1355-A – Manufacturer Licenses
6
State of Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations. Application for Small Distillery
7
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 1076 – Qualified Catering Services
8
Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations. Getting Licensed
9
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 1051 – Licenses Generally
10
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 653 – Hearings; Bureau Review; Appeal
11
Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations. Maine Liquor Laws Quick Reference Guide for Liquor Licensees, Agents, and Employees
12
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 602 – Notification of License or Certificate of Approval Expiration
13
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 457 – Transfer of Agency Liquor Store License
14
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Applying for a Permit and/or Registration
15
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 2506 – Negligent Service of Liquor; Liability
16
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 28-A 2514 – Statute of Limitations
17
State of Maine. Alcohol Seller and Server Online Certification