How to Get a Washington State Liquor License

Last updated: September 11, 2026

Washington licenses the person pouring the drink and the business, and it does not hide the expensive part of spirits retail in the annual fee. Anyone who serves, mixes, or supervises on-premises alcohol needs a MAST permit (Class 12 at 21+, Class 13 at 18–20) within 60 days of hire. A restaurant pouring spirits, beer, and wine pays $1,400 to $2,700 a year depending on how much of the room is dedicated dining. And if your plan is a liquor store, read the next sentence before you sign a lease: most spirits retail licenses require 10,000 square feet of enclosed retail space, and the licensee pays a 17 percent license issuance fee on spirits sales on top of the $550 annual renewal.

The MAST Permit (What Most People Need)

Washington requires Mandatory Alcohol Server Training for people who serve, mix, sell, or supervise the sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption, and for people who conduct tastings or fill growlers at grocery stores. The LCB certifies the trainers; it does not run the class or set the price.

• Class 12 (21 and older) — required to manage an on-premises place, mix or draw alcohol, or supervise a Class 13 holder. A Class 12 permit includes everything a Class 13 allows, and a Class 12 holder must be on the premises to supervise on-premises sale and service.
• Class 13 (18 to 20) — take orders, deliver drinks to customers, and open or pour beer or wine in areas that are not off-limits to people under 21. A Class 13 holder does not mix drinks or draw from a tap as a regular duty.
• 60 days from hire for servers, bartenders, and managers. No 60-day window for tastings — a Class 12 permit has to be in hand before you pour samples.
• Five years, not renewable. The permit expires on the first day of the month, five years after the month you passed the exam. Retake the course; the LCB advises starting about 45 days before it expires. There is no grace period after the date, and no temporary permit.
• The LCB does not set the course fee. Certified private providers teach a class of at least three hours, mail the permit, and report completion to the LCB within 30 days. Keep the provider’s contact information: they replace lost permits and upgrade a Class 13 to a Class 12 when you turn 21.
• Grocery clerks selling packaged beer and wine are generally exempt unless they run tastings. Working without a required permit can mean a criminal citation of up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both, and the employer can be fined or suspended.

The Business License: What the LCB Issues

A liquor license is an endorsement on the state business license, applied for through the Department of Revenue’s Business Licensing Service. LCB investigates and the local authority gets a say. Annual fees below are the post–July 27, 2025 amounts (2SSB 5786):

• Restaurant — spirits/beer/wine: $1,400 service bar only; $2,200 if 50% or more of the customer-service area is dedicated dining; $2,700 if less than 50% is dedicated dining. Issued only to restaurants that meet the food-service, kitchen-equipment, and floor-space rules.
• Restaurant — beer and/or wine: $300 beer, $300 wine, or $600 both. Minimum food service (sandwiches, salad, soup, pizza, hamburgers, or fries).
• Nightclub — spirits/beer/wine: $2,500. Entertainment required; primary hours 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.; primary revenue from alcohol, a cover charge, or both.
• Tavern — beer and/or wine: $300 / $300 / $600. People under 21 are not allowed on the premises at any time.
• Grocery store — beer/wine: $550. At least $3,000 of food inventory (not soft drinks, beer, or wine). Grocery store — spirits/beer/wine: $2,000, and the premises must be at least 10,000 square feet of fully enclosed retail space.
• Spirits retailer (spirits only): $550 a year, same 10,000-square-foot floor, plus the 17 percent license issuance fee on spirits sales described below.
• New retail application fee: $112.50, nonrefundable, credited toward the license if you are approved.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
MAST Class 12 or 13 permit	Set by the provider	LCB does not regulate the fee; valid five years, not renewable
New retail application fee	$112.50	Credited toward the license if approved
Restaurant spirits/beer/wine	$1,400 / $2,200 / $2,700	Service bar / 50%+ dining / less than 50% dining
Restaurant or tavern beer and wine	$300 / $300 / $600	Beer, wine, or both
Nightclub	$2,500/yr	Spirits, beer, and wine; 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. primary hours
Grocery beer/wine	$550/yr	$3,000 food-inventory minimum
Grocery or specialty shop with spirits	$2,000/yr	10,000 sq ft enclosed retail space
Spirits retailer (spirits only)	$550/yr	Plus 17% of spirits sales; 10,000 sq ft
Spirits license issuance fee (off-premises)	17% of spirits sales	LCB fee on spirits retailers, quarterly — not a restaurant drink tax
Spirits taxes on bottles a restaurant buys	13.7% + $2.4408/liter	DOR; paid on purchases from distributors and distillers
Spirits taxes on bottles sold to the public	20.5% + $3.7708/liter	DOR; grocery and liquor stores collect these from consumers
Washington LLC	$180	Certificate of Formation, Washington Secretary of State (online processing extra)

The 10,000-Square-Foot Rule, and the 17 Percent Fee Behind It

Washington privatized spirits retail in 2012. It did not privatize it into corner liquor stores. Under RCW 66.24.630, the board may issue a spirits retail license only for premises comprising at least 10,000 square feet of fully enclosed retail space within a single structure — storerooms and interior auxiliary areas count; covered or fenced exterior areas do not. Grocery stores and beer/wine specialty shops that add spirits sit under the same floor. That is why a Washington “liquor store” is usually a large grocery, a big-box, or a former state or contract store, not a small shop.

The statute leaves three doors open: former contract liquor stores at their contract location, holders of former state-store operating rights sold at auction, and an otherwise-qualified applicant serving a trade area that has no spirits retailer, who will meet the board’s operational rules and who has not committed more than one public-safety violation in the three years before applying. Do not budget a small store on that last exception until LCB has actually agreed the trade area is empty.

Then there is the fee that is not on the license. Each spirits retail licensee pays a license issuance fee equivalent to 17 percent of all spirits sales revenues under the license, exclusive of taxes collected and of items on which the fee has already been incurred, quarterly in arrears. The $550 annual renewal is the smaller line. Craft distilleries are exempt on sales of their own production. This 17 percent is a spirits-retail fee. It is not a tax on drinks poured in a restaurant.

Restaurants and bars pay a different bill, to DOR, on the bottles they buy. On-premises licensees pay a 13.7 percent spirits sales tax on the purchase price plus a $2.4408 per liter spirits liter tax on spirits in the original container. They still collect regular retail sales tax, and pay retailing B&O tax, on drinks by the glass. Grocery and liquor stores selling bottles to the general public collect the higher pair: 20.5 percent and $3.7708 per liter. Fail to document that a buyer is an on-premises licensee and the vendor must charge the higher rates.

Hours are simple statewide and then local: no sale, service, or on-premises consumption between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. A city or county may set a later opening or earlier closing for every licensed premises in its jurisdiction, and alcohol-impact areas can be tighter still.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Decide the class — restaurant spirits/beer/wine, beer-and-wine only, tavern (21+ only), nightclub, grocery, or spirits retail. The 10,000-square-foot floor applies before you look at a spirits-retail lease.
2. Register the entity with the Washington Secretary of State ($180 Certificate of Formation). An LLC formed in Washington meets the one-month residency rule; every true party of interest must be 21.
3. Apply through DOR Business Licensing Service about 90 days before opening, with the $112.50 retail application fee. LCB notifies the local authority (20 days to respond; 60 days in an alcohol-impact area) and schools, churches, and public colleges or universities within 500 feet.
4. Put a Class 12 permit holder on the floor and get every on-premises server a Class 12 or 13 within 60 days of hire (no grace period for tastings).
5. Budget the spirits taxes that match your license. A restaurant pays 13.7 percent plus $2.4408 per liter on bottles it buys. A spirits retailer pays the 17 percent LCB issuance fee quarterly and collects 20.5 percent plus $3.7708 per liter from the public. The Responsible Vendor Program is the presumptively sufficient training curriculum for spirits retailers, and it is free and voluntary.
6. Diary the five-year MAST dates. The permit is not renewable; each person retakes the course.

Staying Licensed

Retail liquor endorsements renew annually at the LCB fee for your class. MAST permits are not on that calendar — they run five years per person and must be replaced with a new course before they expire. Spirits retailers keep paying the 17 percent issuance fee quarterly. Restaurants keep paying DOR spirits taxes of 13.7 percent plus $2.4408 per liter on bottles they buy, and collecting retail sales tax on drinks. A Class 12 holder has to remain on the premises to supervise on-premises sale and service. Hours stay 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. unless the city or county tightened them for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do bartenders and servers need a permit in Washington?

Yes. Washington requires a Mandatory Alcohol Server Training permit for anyone who serves, mixes, sells, or supervises the sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption, and for people who run tastings or fill growlers at grocery stores. You have 60 days from your hire date to get it, except tastings, which have no grace period. The LCB does not set the price: certified private providers run the course, mail the permit, and report it to the LCB.

What is the difference between a Class 12 and Class 13 MAST permit?

Class 12 is for people 21 and older: managers, bartenders who mix or draw alcohol, and anyone who supervises a Class 13 holder. Class 13 is for people 18 to 20: they may take orders, deliver drinks to the table, and open or pour beer or wine in areas that are not off-limits to people under 21. A Class 12 permit includes everything a Class 13 allows. Grocery-store clerks whose job is selling packaged beer and wine, and whose tasting work is incidental, are exempt except when they actually run tastings.

How much does a Washington liquor license cost?

For a bar or restaurant pouring spirits, beer, and wine, the annual LCB fee is $1,400 if you have a service bar only, $2,200 if at least half the customer-service area is dedicated dining, or $2,700 if less than half is dedicated dining. Beer and wine only is $300 each, or $600 for both. A nightclub license is $2,500. A new retail application also carries a $112.50 fee that is credited toward the license if you are approved. Those are the printed license fees. A restaurant also pays DOR spirits taxes of 13.7 percent of the purchase price plus $2.4408 per liter on bottled spirits it buys, and collects regular retail sales tax on drinks by the glass. If you sell spirits off-premises, add a 17 percent LCB license issuance fee on spirits sales, and you collect 20.5 percent plus $3.7708 per liter from the general public.

Can I open a small liquor store in Washington?

Usually no. A spirits retail license is limited to premises with at least 10,000 square feet of fully enclosed retail space in a single structure. The same floor applies to grocery and specialty shops that add spirits. The statute carves out former contract liquor stores, former state-store operating rights sold at auction, and an otherwise-qualified applicant serving a trade area that has no spirits retailer. A standalone spirits retailer license is $550 a year on top of the 17 percent issuance fee.

How long is a Washington MAST permit good for?

Five years, and it is not renewable. It expires on the first day of the month, five years after the month you passed the exam. Take a new course about 45 days before it expires; there is no grace period after the date. Working without a valid permit can bring a criminal citation of up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both, and the employer can be fined or suspended.

How do you apply for a Washington liquor license?

Apply through the Department of Revenue Business Licensing Service about 90 days before you plan to open. The liquor license is an endorsement on the state business license. LCB sends the application to the local authority, which has 20 days to recommend approval or object, and notifies schools, churches, and public colleges or universities within 500 feet. Applicants must be 21, and a new licensee must have resided in Washington for at least one month (an LLC formed in Washington meets that).

Forming the company, taxes, insurance, and hiring are covered in our full guide to starting a business in Washington.

Sources

Source	What It Covers
Washington LCB — Get an Alcohol Server Permit (MAST)	MAST required for on-premises service, mixing, sale and supervision and for grocery tastings and growlers; Class 12 at 21+, Class 13 at 18-20; five-year term, not renewable; LCB does not set the course fee; $500 / 90 days criminal penalty
Washington LCB — MAST FAQs	60 days from hire; no grace period for tastings; no temporary permit; five years expiring the first day of the month after the exam month; course at least three hours; $500 / 90 days
WAC 314-17-015 — Types of alcohol server training permits	Class 12 (21+) manager, mixer/drawer, supervisor; Class 13 (18+) orders, delivery, beer/wine pour; Class 12 includes Class 13 authorities
WAC 314-17-020 — Permit term	Class 12 and 13 valid five years; expire the first day of the month five years after the exam month; retake required
WAC 314-17-030 — Employer responsibility	Class 12 or 13 within 60 calendar days of hire; a Class 12 holder must be on the premises to supervise
RCW 66.20.310 — Alcohol server permits	Class 12 and Class 13; 60 days from initial employment; five-year term; grocery-store employee exception except tasting staff
Washington LCB — Retail Liquor Licenses and Endorsement Fees	Restaurant spirits/beer/wine $1,400 / $2,200 / $2,700; beer/wine $300 / $300 / $600; nightclub $2,500; grocery beer/wine $550; grocery spirits/beer/wine $2,000; spirits retailer $550; tavern 21-and-over; 10,000 sq ft on grocery/specialty spirits
RCW 66.24.015 — Nonrefundable application fee	$112.50 new retail application fee, credited toward the license if approved
RCW 66.24.630 — Spirits retail license	10,000 square feet enclosed retail space; 17 percent license issuance fee on spirits sales; $550 annual renewal; contract-store and empty-trade-area exceptions; Responsible Vendor Program
Washington LCB — Apply for a Liquor License	Apply through DOR Business Licensing Service about 90 days before opening; liquor license is a business-license endorsement
WAC 314-07-020 — Application process	Local authority has 20 days (60 in an alcohol impact area); 500-foot notice to schools, churches, public colleges; one-month Washington residency; applicants 21 or older
WAC 314-11-070 — Hours	No sale, service, consumption, or removal of liquor between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.; local governments may set later opening or earlier closing for all licensees
Washington LCB — Responsible Vendor Program FAQ	Alcohol may be sold between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m.
Washington Secretary of State — Fee Schedule	$180 LLC original filing (Certificate of Formation)
Washington DOR — Spirits sales: On-premises licensees	Restaurants and bars pay 13.7 percent spirits sales tax and $2.4408 per liter on bottled spirits they buy; without documentation the vendor charges 20.5 percent and $3.7708 per liter; retail sales tax and retailing B&O apply to drinks by the glass
Washington DOR — Spirits sales	Public rates 20.5 percent and $3.7708 per liter; on-premises retailer purchase rates 13.7 percent and $2.4408 per liter
RCW 82.08.150 — Tax on certain sales of intoxicating liquors	Statutory levy of spirits sales tax and additional liter taxes on original-package spirits; DOR publishes the combined rates restaurants and stores actually pay