How to Get a Wyoming Liquor License

Last updated: September 11, 2026

Wyoming has no state liquor license for a bar. Cities, towns and counties license retail sales, the number of full retail liquor licenses in each is fixed by a population formula, and the state’s Liquor Division is the only place a licensee may buy spirits and wine. Under W.S. 12-4-101 incorporated cities, towns and counties “shall license and regulate or prohibit the retail sale of alcoholic and malt beverages,” and may issue fewer licenses than the formula allows. The retail liquor license in 12-4-201 is capped at two licenses in a town of 500 or fewer, one more for each additional 500 people up to 9,500, and one more for each full 3,000 above that, at an annual fee the local authority sets between $300 and $1,500. A restaurant liquor license under 12-4-407 has no population cap, requires a food service permit and at least 60 percent of gross sales from food, and costs $500 to $3,000. Every application is made under oath, published once a week for two consecutive weeks, and heard by the council or commissioners before it can issue. Under 12-8-301 a licensee who legally provided the alcohol is not liable for damages caused by the drinker’s intoxication; liability survives only where the sale violated Title 12.

Training: A State-Certified Program That the Statute Creates but Does Not Require

Title 12 sets up an alcohol server training program without making it a license condition. Article 4 of chapter 2 (W.S. 12-2-401 and 12-2-402) directs the Department of Revenue to establish “an alcohol server training program to train servers to help promote safe and responsible consumption of alcoholic liquor,” to certify providers using state curricula, and to govern how courses and examinations are offered; a “server” is anyone who physically serves or delivers alcoholic liquor at retail for a locally licensed business. The Liquor Division’s rule at chapter 20, section 17 fills in the standard: a certified course covers the physiological and behavioral effects of alcohol, absorption and blood alcohol content, the laws affecting servers, strategies for problem situations and how to check and spot false identification; it runs at least four hours, ends in a written examination passed at 70 percent, and produces a certification good for at least three years. Nothing in Title 12 conditions a retail, restaurant or bar and grill license on staff completing it, so whether training is required at your location is a question for the city or county ordinance and the licensing authority.

What Title 12 does regulate strictly is where and how alcohol is sold. Under 12-5-201 the principal place of sale must be the licensed building approved by the licensing authority, service may extend only to an immediately adjacent fenced or enclosed area the authority approves, and the authority inspects the building for sanitation and fire compliance. Hours of sale are set locally under 12-5-101(d), provided they are applied uniformly to similar establishments. A licensee must own the building or hold a written lease for the license term with the landlord’s consent to alcohol sales (12-4-103), and must open in a functional building within one year of issuance or lose the license, with one further year available for good cause. The Wyoming attorney general prepares the application and license forms every city, town and county must use (12-4-701).

Three Licenses for a Bar or Restaurant, and What Each Costs

A retail liquor license (12-4-201) is the full license: it authorizes sales of alcoholic liquor and malt beverages for consumption but not resale, and it is the one the population formula rations. The licensing authority assesses a fee of not less than $300 nor more than $1,500, payable annually in advance. A county may issue one retail liquor license for each 500 people living outside cities and towns, but no more than three for locations within five miles of a city or town’s limits. Population comes from the federal census, revised by state estimates within five years, and the Liquor Division certifies to each authority how many licenses it may issue.

A restaurant liquor license (12-4-407 through 12-4-411) sidesteps the formula: “population formulas have no application to issuance of restaurant liquor licenses within the county.” The applicant submits a valid food service permit, must satisfy the authority that food rather than alcohol will be the primary revenue source, and at each renewal must show that at least 60 percent of the prior year’s gross sales came from food, reporting food and alcohol sales separately. Alcohol is served for on-premises consumption in dining areas staffed for full food service, with no off-premises sales apart from a resealed bottle of wine bought with a meal. The annual fee is $500 to $3,000. A bar and grill liquor license (12-4-413), created for restaurants that want a fuller bar, has its own population caps, currently four licenses in a city or town of 7,500 or fewer, ten between 7,501 and 20,000, fourteen between 20,001 and 30,000, and one more per 5,000 above that, rising in July 2028 to six, fourteen, eighteen and one per 3,000. Its fee is $1,500 to $10,500, it may not be sold or transferred, and alcohol sales stop when food service does.

The Application, the Notice and the Hearing

Under 12-4-102 the application is made under oath on the attorney general’s form, filed with the city, town or county clerk, and states the location of the licensed building (or plans for one not yet built), the age and residence of each applicant or partner, and any criminal record. Under 12-4-104 the clerk then publishes notice “in a newspaper of local circulation once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks,” posts it on the county or city website, and names the meeting at which protests will be heard; the applicant pays the publication cost when filing. No license issues, renews or transfers before the hearing date, and a renewal or transfer hearing must be held at least 30 days before the license expires. The authority must refuse if it finds “the welfare of the people residing in the vicinity of the proposed license or permit premises shall be adversely and seriously affected,” that the purposes of Title 12 would not be served, or that the number of licenses is already at the limit. The term is one year (12-4-106), fees once paid are not refunded (12-4-105), and a license may be transferred to new premises or, by good-faith sale, to a new owner after a public hearing, for an additional fee of up to $100 (12-4-601). Under 12-2-301 the Liquor Division “is the exclusive wholesale distributor and seller of alcoholic liquor within Wyoming,” so a licensee buys spirits and wine from the state and beer from licensed malt beverage wholesalers.

What It Costs

License or requirement	Who sets it	Amount
Retail liquor license (full bar, on and off premises)	City, town or county within the statutory range (12-4-201); number capped by population formula	$300 to $1,500 a year, in advance
Restaurant liquor license	City, town or county (12-4-411); no population cap; food service permit and 60 percent food sales	$500 to $3,000 a year
Bar and grill liquor license	City, town or county (12-4-413); own population caps; not transferable	$1,500 to $10,500 a year
County malt beverage permit	County commissioners (12-4-201(h))	$100 to $1,500
Published notice	Clerk publishes once a week for two consecutive weeks (12-4-104); applicant pays	Publication cost, paid at filing
Transfer of location or ownership	Licensing authority after public hearing (12-4-601)	Additional fee of not more than $100
Catering permit or 24-hour malt beverage permit	Licensing authority (12-4-502)	$10 to $50 per 24-hour period
Alcohol server training (voluntary under Title 12)	Department of Revenue certified providers; at least four hours, 70 percent exam, certificate three years or more	Course fee
Wyoming LLC	Articles of Organization; annual report license tax	$100; annual report $60 or two-tenths of a mill on Wyoming assets, whichever is greater

A Rationed Full License, an Unrationed Restaurant License, and Liability Only for Illegal Sales

Wyoming rations the full retail liquor license by a fixed formula that the Liquor Division certifies to each city, town and county, so in a town that has reached its number the only way into a full license is to buy one from a holder, with the authority’s approval after a hearing. The legislature relieved that pressure for food businesses twice: the restaurant liquor license has no population cap but ties the licensee to a 60 percent food-sales test at every renewal, and the bar and grill license offers a fuller bar with a smaller food requirement under its own, more generous caps that expand again in 2028. Other states on this site exempt restaurants from a quota outright; Wyoming does it with a separate license class that carries an annual sales report as the price of the exemption.

The state’s role is also different in kind. Because the Liquor Division is the exclusive wholesaler of spirits and wine, every licensee is a customer of the state as well as a licensee of the town, and the Division administers the certification of server training providers even though no statute requires a server to be trained. On liability, 12-8-301 draws a bright line: “no person who has legally provided alcoholic liquor or malt beverage to any other person is liable for damages caused by the intoxication of the other person,” the drinker remains liable, and the immunity falls away if the alcohol “was sold or provided in violation of title 12,” a term the statute extends to the licensee’s employees. A sale to a minor or outside the licensed building is therefore both a license violation and the door to a damages claim; a lawful sale to an adult who later causes harm is not. That is narrower than the negligence-based dram shop acts in states like Rhode Island and broader than the flat abrogation in South Dakota.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Ask the city or county clerk which licenses are open. The Liquor Division certifies the number of retail liquor licenses available; if the town is at its cap, a restaurant liquor license (no cap) or a bar and grill license (its own cap) may be the route, or a purchase from an existing holder.
2. Form the entity — Wyoming Articles of Organization are $100, and the annual report license tax is $60 or two-tenths of a mill on assets located in Wyoming, whichever is greater.
3. Lock down the building. Under 12-4-103 you must own it or hold a written lease for the license term containing the landlord’s agreement that alcohol may be sold there; a restaurant or bar and grill applicant also needs a valid food service permit.
4. File the application under oath on the attorney general’s form with the clerk, disclosing the location, every applicant’s age and residence, and any criminal record, and pay the fee and the publication cost.
5. Wait out the notice. The clerk publishes once a week for two consecutive weeks and posts online; the license cannot issue before the hearing date named in the notice.
6. Attend the hearing before the council or commissioners, where neighbors may protest and the authority must deny if the neighborhood’s welfare would be seriously affected or the license count is exhausted.
7. Open a Liquor Division account to buy spirits and wine from the state, line up licensed beer wholesalers, display the license in the building (12-4-702), and be open within one year.

Staying Licensed

Renew annually at a hearing held at least 30 days before expiration. A renewal application is published and heard like a new one under 12-4-104, and the authority may refuse renewal on the same grounds.

Restaurant licensees: file the sales report. Renewal under 12-4-408 is conditioned on food being at least 60 percent of the prior twelve months’ gross sales, shown in a report separating food from alcohol.

Sell only in the licensed building. Under 12-5-201 service is confined to the licensed building and an immediately adjacent enclosed area the authority approved; anything else is a Title 12 violation that also strips the 12-8-301 liability shield.

Pay sales tax on time. Under 12-4-601 the authority may not approve a transfer if the Department of Revenue certifies the licensee 60 or more days delinquent in sales taxes.

Keep the annual report current with the Secretary of State; the license tax is due each year and a lapse costs a $100 reinstatement fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a liquor license in Wyoming?

Between $300 and $1,500 a year for a retail liquor license, the amount set by the city, town or county within the range in W.S. 12-4-201; between $500 and $3,000 for a restaurant liquor license under 12-4-411; and between $1,500 and $10,500 for a bar and grill liquor license under 12-4-413. Fees are payable annually in advance, are not refunded once the license issues, and a transfer of location or ownership carries an additional fee of up to $100.

Who issues liquor licenses in Wyoming?

Cities, towns and counties. Under W.S. 12-4-101 incorporated cities, towns and counties license and regulate or prohibit the retail sale of alcoholic and malt beverages; the application is filed with the city, town or county clerk on a form the attorney general prepares, and the council or county commissioners hear it. The state Liquor Division certifies how many licenses each authority may issue under the population formula and is the exclusive wholesaler of alcoholic liquor to licensees under 12-2-301.

Is there a limit on liquor licenses in Wyoming?

Yes, for the full retail liquor license. Under 12-4-201 a town of 500 people or fewer may have no more than two, with one more for each additional 500 people up to 9,500 and one more for each full 3,000 above that; a county may issue one for each 500 residents outside towns but no more than three within five miles of a town. Restaurant liquor licenses under 12-4-407 are exempt from the population formula, and bar and grill licenses under 12-4-413 have their own caps, currently four in a town of 7,500 or fewer, ten up to 20,000, fourteen up to 30,000 and one more per 5,000 above that, rising in 2028.

What is the difference between a restaurant liquor license and a bar and grill license in Wyoming?

Both require a food service permit and are issued by the city, town or county. A restaurant liquor license has no population cap, costs $500 to $3,000, and must show at renewal that at least 60 percent of gross sales in the prior twelve months came from food, with alcohol served only in dining areas staffed for full food service. A bar and grill liquor license is capped by population under 12-4-413, costs $1,500 to $10,500, may not be sold or transferred, and requires alcohol sales to stop when food sales and service stop.

Do bartenders need a license in Wyoming?

Not under state law. W.S. 12-2-401 and 12-2-402 direct the Department of Revenue to run an alcohol server training program through certified providers, and the Liquor Division’s rule requires a certified course to run at least four hours, end with a written exam passed at 70 percent, and certify the server for at least three years, but Title 12 does not condition a license on servers completing it. Whether training is required is up to the city or county ordinance where the business is located.

Can a Wyoming bar be sued for over-serving a customer?

Only if the sale broke the law. Under W.S. 12-8-301 no person who has legally provided alcoholic liquor or malt beverage to another is liable for damages caused by that person’s intoxication, and the intoxicated person remains liable for the damage; the section does not protect a licensee or its employees if the alcohol was sold or provided in violation of Title 12, such as a sale to a minor or outside the licensed building.

What does a Wyoming LLC cost?

The Secretary of State’s fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists Articles of Organization at $100. The annual report license tax is $60 or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar of the company’s assets located and employed in Wyoming, whichever is greater, and reinstatement after a tax lapse is $100.

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

Sources

Source	What It Covers
Wyoming Statutes Title 12 — Alcoholic Beverages (PDF): 12-2-301 division as exclusive wholesaler; 12-2-401 and 12-2-402 alcohol server training program; 12-4-101 authority of cities, towns and counties; 12-4-102 application; 12-4-103 restrictions on applicants; 12-4-104 publication of notice and hearing; 12-4-106 term; 12-4-201 retail liquor licenses and population formula; 12-4-407 to 12-4-411 restaurant liquor license; 12-4-413 bar and grill liquor license; 12-4-502 catering permits; 12-4-601 transfers; 12-5-101 hours; 12-5-201 licensed building; 12-8-301 limitation of liability	Except as provided in W.S. 12-2-203(g), the division is the exclusive wholesale distributor and seller of alcoholic liquor within Wyoming; the department shall promulgate rules establishing an alcohol server training program to train servers to help promote safe and responsible consumption of alcoholic liquor, providing for the certification of providers; incorporated cities, towns and counties within Wyoming shall license and regulate or prohibit the retail sale of alcoholic and malt beverages under this title, and nothing prohibits a licensing authority from issuing less than the total number of allowable liquor licenses; the maximum number of licenses available under the population formula shall be certified and distributed by the division; the application shall be made under oath upon a form prepared by the attorney general and filed with the clerk, containing the location of the licensed building, the age and residence of the applicant, and a disclosure of any criminal record; a license shall not be held by any person who does not own the building or hold a written lease for the period for which the license will be effective containing an agreement by the lessor that alcoholic or malt beverages may be sold, or by any licensee who fails to open in a functional building within one (1) year after license issuance; the clerk shall publish the notice in a newspaper of local circulation once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks and post it on the official website, each applicant shall pay the clerk an amount sufficient to cover the costs of publishing notice, a license shall not be issued, renewed or transferred until on or after the date set in the notice for hearing protests, a renewal or transfer hearing shall be held no later than thirty (30) days preceding the expiration date, and a license shall not be issued if the licensing authority finds the welfare of the people residing in the vicinity of the proposed license premises shall be adversely and seriously affected; the term of the license or permit is for one (1) year; the number of retail liquor licenses issued shall be based on the following population formula: not more than two (2) licenses in incorporated towns of five hundred (500) population or less, not more than one (1) additional license for each additional five hundred (500) population up to a population of nine thousand five hundred (9,500), and not more than one (1) additional license for each additional full three thousand (3,000) population over nine thousand five hundred (9,500); the license fee for a retail liquor license shall be not less than three hundred dollars ($300.00) nor more than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) payable annually in advance; a county may issue one (1) retail liquor license for each five hundred (500) population residing outside cities and towns but no more than three (3) retail liquor licenses for locations within five (5) miles of the corporate limits of a city or town; the county fee for malt beverage permits shall be not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor more than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00); restaurants may be licensed under a restaurant liquor license, the applicant shall submit a valid food service permit, and population formulas have no application to issuance of restaurant liquor licenses within the county; renewal shall be conditioned upon a requirement that not less than sixty percent (60%) of gross sales from the preceding twelve (12) months be derived from food services, with an annual report separating food service sales from alcoholic and malt beverage sales; the annual fee for a restaurant liquor license shall be no more than three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) and no less than five hundred dollars ($500.00); beginning July 1, 2023, bar and grill liquor licenses for cities and towns shall be not more than four (4) in cities or towns with populations of seven thousand five hundred (7,500) or less, not more than ten (10) between seven thousand five hundred one (7,501) and twenty thousand (20,000), not more than fourteen (14) between twenty thousand one (20,001) and thirty thousand (30,000), and not more than one (1) additional license for each additional five thousand (5,000) persons over thirty thousand (30,000), and beginning July 1, 2028, six (6), fourteen (14), eighteen (18) and one (1) additional license for each additional three thousand (3,000) persons; the license fee assessed for a bar and grill liquor license shall be not less than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) nor more than ten thousand five hundred dollars ($10,500.00); a bar and grill liquor license shall not be sold, transferred or assigned; all sales of alcoholic and malt beverages authorized by a bar and grill liquor license shall cease at the time food sales and services cease; the fee for the malt beverage permit and the catering permit shall be not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than fifty dollars ($50.00) per twenty-four (24) hour period; a license or permit may be transferred to different premises or assigned by a sale made in good faith after public hearing and approval of the licensing authority, an additional license fee of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) is required, and approval shall not be given if the transferring licensee is certified as sixty (60) or more days delinquent in paying sales taxes; local licensing authorities may set hours of operation for alcohol sales provided that the hours are uniformly applied to establishments similarly situated; the principal place in which alcoholic liquor and malt beverages are sold under a license shall be located in the licensed building and alcoholic beverages may be served only in the licensed building and in an immediately adjacent fenced or enclosed area as approved by the local licensing authority; no person who has legally provided alcoholic liquor or malt beverage to any other person is liable for damages caused by the intoxication of the other person, this section does not affect the liability of the intoxicated person, and this section does not affect the liability of the licensee or person if the alcoholic liquor or malt beverage was sold or provided in violation of title 12, with licensee including the licensee’s employee or employees
Wyoming Administrative Code, Department of Revenue, Liquor Division, chapter 20, section 17 — Alcohol Server Training Program (Legal Information Institute)	Each program shall meet or exceed the minimum curriculum standards to obtain an annual certification from the Liquor Division; minimum curricula standards shall include physiological and behavioral effects of alcohol use, absorption rate factors, blood alcohol content, laws affecting servers and sellers of alcohol, potential alcohol related problems, strategies for dealing with problem situations, and proper methods for checking identification and how to spot false or altered identification; training format shall include a minimum of four (4) hours instructional time; servers will be certified upon completion of course by passing a comprehensive written examination achieving a score of at least seventy (70) percent, and the certification will be for a period of not less than three (3) years
Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division — Filing fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 (PDF)	Limited Liability Companies: Articles of Organization $100.00; Certificate of Authority $150.00; Reinstatement for Tax $100.00; Amendment/Dissolution/Any Other Filing $60.00; Annual Report License tax is $60 or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar ($.0002) whichever is greater based on the company’s assets located and employed in the state of Wyoming; certificates of good standing may be obtained online at no cost at wyobiz.wyo.gov