How to Get a Kansas Liquor License

Last updated: September 11, 2026

Kansas bills the license for two years, then taxes every drink at 10%, and in most counties food has to hold 30% of the till. A drinking establishment license is $2,000 for the two-year term, not a year. On top of that, K.S.A. 79-41a02 puts a 10% liquor drink tax on the gross receipts of clubs, caterers, drinking establishments, public venues and temporary permit holders. And unless your county voted the food test off, a drinking establishment must take at least 30% of food-and-beverage receipts from food. The local occupation tax on a bar is $200 to $500 biennially from the city or county — not a second copy of the $2,000 state fee.

Kansas Does Not Require Server Training

There is no state-mandated alcohol server or seller certification in Kansas. Nothing in the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s licensing material conditions employment on holding a card, and the ABC does not publish an approved-provider list the way mandatory-certification states do.

What Kansas offers instead is free and worth using: the ABC will send an agent to your premises. Its licensee training page invites you to request an educational visit from an ABC agent, covering identification-verification procedures, compliance with the liquor statutes and regulations, and an overview of the underage drinking laws.

Two practical notes on age checks that come straight from the ABC. Kansas issues vertical driver’s licenses and ID cards to people under 21 and horizontal ones to adults, with a colored bar under the portrait — red for cardholders aged 14 to 20, carrying the date they turn 21, and green for those under 14. Someone who has since turned 21 may still be carrying the vertical card, so read the date rather than the shape alone.

What the State Charges, and For How Long

Kansas bills a license/permit fee plus three small standing charges: a $20 modernization fee, a $30 application fee for a new license, and a $10 license application fee at renewal. The license fee itself covers the full two-year term.

You also get a choice about how to pay it. At application you may either pay the license fee and the registration fee in full, or pay half the license fee plus the registration fee now and the remaining half plus a 10 percent surcharge within one year of issue. Miss that second payment and the license is canceled automatically, so the split is a cash-flow tool rather than a discount.

Before you apply you will need a federal EIN and a Kansas business tax registration, and every applicant must hold a valid Tax Clearance Certificate from the Department of Revenue for the entity. Under K.S.A. 41-319 the ABC has 20 days to process manufacturer, distributor and non-beverage user applications and 30 days for everything else, with the clock starting only once all required documentation is in.

The 30% Food Test, Unless the County Voted It Off

K.S.A. 41-2642 requires a drinking establishment to derive not less than 30% of its gross receipts from sales of food and beverages from food, unless the county has approved a proposition allowing liquor by the drink without a food requirement. That is a county election, not a form you check on the application. Ask the ABC which rule your county actually lives under before you model a cocktail-forward room.

The county also has to be wet for liquor by the drink at all. A drinking establishment license only issues where the electors approved liquor by the drink (the 1986 constitutional amendment or a later 41-2646 election) and have not voted it back off.

What It Costs

Item	Cost	Notes
Drinking Establishment (DE)	$2,000	Per two-year term
DE/Caterer	$3,000
DE — Hotel	$6,000
DE — Hotel/Caterer	$7,000	The most expensive retail combination
Caterer	$1,000
Retailer (package store)	$500	Limit of one license per person
Class A Club (Fraternal/Veterans)	$500
Class A Club — Social	$1,000 / $2,000	500 members or less / over 500
Class B Club	$2,000
Farm Winery	$500	Winery outlet $100
Microbrewery / Microdistillery	$500 each	Packaging and warehousing facility $200
Public Venue	$5,000 / $7,500 / $10,000	Up to 10,000 / up to 25,000 / more than 25,000 persons
Common Consumption Area Permit	$100
Temporary Permit	$25/day
Modernization fee	$20	On most licenses
Application fee (new / renewal)	$30 / $10
Liquor drink tax	10%	On gross receipts of clubs, caterers, drinking establishments, public venues (K.S.A. 79-41a02)
Liquor enforcement tax	8%	On package-store and similar off-premises sales (K.S.A. 79-4101)
DE / club local occupation tax	$200–$500	Biennial, city or county, K.S.A. 41-2622(b)
Retailer (package store) local occupation tax	$200–$600	Biennial, city and township separately, K.S.A. 41-310(l)
Food share (drinking establishment)	30%	Of food-and-beverage receipts, unless the county voted the test off
Kansas LLC	$85 online / $90 paper	Articles of Organization

The $2,000 Is Two Years. The 10% Is Every Night.

Three Kansas numbers get mixed up, and mixing them is expensive.

The license fee is biennial. A drinking establishment is $2,000 for two years under K.S.A. 41-2622. Publishing that as an annual fee overstates the yearly cost two times — the single easiest error on Kansas, because the ABC fee table itself states no period.

The drink tax is not a license fee. K.S.A. 79-41a02 puts a 10% tax on the gross receipts from alcoholic liquor sold by a club, caterer, drinking establishment, public venue or temporary permit holder. It is collected from the consumer and remitted to the Department of Revenue. A package store pays a different tax: the 8% liquor enforcement tax under K.S.A. 79-4101. Neither appears on the ABC fee schedule, and the 10% is the number that actually moves with sales.

The local occupation tax is not a second $2,000. For a drinking establishment or club, K.S.A. 41-2622(b) lets the city — or the county, if the premises is not in a city — levy a biennial occupation tax of $200 to $500, and no other city or county occupation tax on that licensee. For a package-store retailer, K.S.A. 41-310(l) is a different statute: city and township each $200 to $600. Do not apply the manufacturer/distributor rule in 41-310(j) (up to the full state fee, city and township both) to a bar. That is a different license class.

Food is 30% unless the county voted it off. K.S.A. 41-2642 requires a drinking establishment to take not less than 30% of food-and-beverage receipts from food, unless the county approved liquor by the drink without a food requirement. The retailer license, separately, is one per person.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Ask whether the county is wet for liquor by the drink, and whether the 30% food test still applies there. Both are county elections under 41-2642 / 41-2646, not a box on the ABC form.
2. Budget the two-year fee plus the 10% drink tax — a drinking establishment is $2,000 for two years, then 10% of drink receipts every month.
3. Ask the city (or county, if you are outside a city) what occupation tax it levies on a drinking establishment: $200 to $500 biennially, not a copy of the state fee. A package store is $200 to $600 at the city and the township.
4. Get a federal EIN and register for Kansas business taxes, including the liquor drink tax if you will sell by the drink.
5. Register the entity with the Secretary of State — Articles of Organization are $85 online, $90 on paper.
6. Obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate from the Department of Revenue using the entity’s FEIN. Applications are not processed without it.
7. Apply through the ABC, choosing full payment or half plus the 10 percent surcharge within a year, and book a free educational visit from an ABC agent once you have staff.

Staying Licensed

Diary the renewal against a two-year clock rather than an annual one — this is the single most common Kansas scheduling error, and the license simply ends on its term date. Renewal carries a $10 license application fee alongside the license fee itself.

If you took the split-payment option, the remaining half plus the 10 percent surcharge is due within one year of issue and non-payment cancels the license automatically, without a hearing. Treat it as a hard deadline rather than an invoice.

The 10% liquor drink tax is monthly. Keep food at 30% of food-and-beverage receipts unless your county voted that test off — that is an ongoing audit, not a filing at issuance. New in-state licenses are hand-delivered by your local ABC enforcement agent; renewals and permits arrive by email.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a liquor license in Kansas?

A drinking establishment license is $2,000 for a two-year term, a package store retailer license is $500, and a caterer is $1,000. Add a $20 modernization fee and a $30 application fee for a new license. A drinking establishment also remits a 10% liquor drink tax on gross receipts, and the city or county may add a biennial occupation tax of $200 to $500. Do not treat the $2,000 as an annual fee.

Does Kansas require alcohol server training?

No. Kansas has no state-mandated server or seller certification. The Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control instead offers a free educational visit from an ABC agent covering identification verification, compliance with the liquor statutes and regulations, and the underage drinking laws.

Do Kansas bars have to sell food?

Usually yes. K.S.A. 41-2642 requires a drinking establishment to derive not less than 30% of its gross receipts from sales of food and beverages from food, unless the county has voted to allow liquor by the drink without a food requirement. Ask which rule your county lives under before you plan a drinks-led room.

What is the Kansas liquor drink tax?

A 10% tax on the gross receipts from alcoholic liquor sold by a club, caterer, drinking establishment, public venue or temporary permit holder, imposed by K.S.A. 79-41a02 and collected from the consumer. Package stores pay a different 8% liquor enforcement tax under K.S.A. 79-4101 instead.

How long does a Kansas liquor license last?

Two years. K.S.A. 41-310(n) provides that the license term begins on the effective date shown on the license and ends two years after that date. The director may extend a term by up to 30 days at their discretion. Drinking establishment terms are the same two years under 41-2629.

Can I own more than one liquor store in Kansas?

The retailer license is issued subject to a limit of one license per person, a restriction the ABC prints on the retailer line of its own fee schedule. Resolve any multi-store plan with the ABC before committing to a second location.

Can I pay the Kansas license fee in installments?

Yes. You may pay the license fee and registration fee in full at application, or pay half the license fee plus the registration fee up front and the remaining half plus a 10 percent surcharge within one year of issue. If that second payment is missed the license is canceled automatically.

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

Sources

Source	What It Covers
Kansas ABC — License/Permit Pricing	Fee table with column headers License/Permit Fee, Modernization Fee, Application Fee for New, License Application Fee for Renewal: Drinking Establishment $2,000; DE/Caterer $3,000; DE-Hotel $6,000; DE-Hotel/Caterer $7,000; Caterer $1,000; Retailer (limit of one license per person) $500; Class A Club Fraternal/Veterans $500; Class A Club Social $1,000 and $2,000; Class B Club $2,000; Farm Winery $500; Farm Winery Outlet $100; Microbrewery $500; Microdistillery $500; Packaging and Warehousing Facility $200; Public Venue $5,000, $7,500 and $10,000; Common Consumption Area Permit $100; Temporary Permit $25/day; modernization $20; application $30 new and $10 renewal
Kansas ABC — Liquor Licenses and Permits	Liquor licenses are valid for a two year term; pay in full or half the license fee plus registration fee with the remaining half plus a 10 percent surcharge within one year; FEIN and business tax registration required; Tax Clearance Certificate required; K.S.A. 41-319 allows 20 days to process manufacturer, distributor or non-beverage user applications and 30 days for all others; new in-state licenses hand-delivered by the local ABC enforcement agent
Kansas ABC — Licensee Training	Licensee training is available on request as an educational visit from an ABC agent, covering identification verification procedures, compliance with liquor statutes and regulations and underage drinking laws; vertical licenses issued to under-21s with a red bar for ages 14 to 20 and green under 14
Kansas ABC — Handbook for Drinking Establishments	Biennial DE fees $2,000 / $3,000 / $6,000 / $7,000; city or county biennial occupation tax not less than $200 and not more than $500, K.S.A. 41-2622(b); 30-day clock to issue or deny
K.S.A. 41-2622 — License fees; city or county taxes	Drinking establishment $2,000; DE caterer $3,000; hotel DE $6,000; hotel DE caterer $7,000; city or county biennial occupation tax not less than $200 nor more than $500; no other city or county occupation tax on a club or drinking establishment
K.S.A. 41-2642 — Drinking establishment license	A drinking establishment shall derive from sales of food not less than 30% of gross receipts from sales of food and beverages unless the county approved liquor by the drink without a food requirement
K.S.A. 79-41a02 — Liquor drink tax	Tax at the rate of 10% upon the gross receipts derived from the sale of alcoholic liquor by any club, caterer, drinking establishment, public venue or temporary permit holder
K.S.A. 79-4101 — Liquor enforcement tax	Tax at the rate of 8% upon the gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic liquor, cereal malt beverage and nonalcoholic malt beverage by retailers
K.S.A. 41-310 — Licenses; fees	Subsection (n): the license term commences on the effective date and ends two years after that date, extendable by the director by up to 30 days. Subsection (l): retailer city and township occupation tax not less than $200 nor more than $600. Retailer license fee $500
Kansas Secretary of State — Form DL, Articles of Organization	Fee schedule: Online Articles of Organization $85; Paper Articles of Organization $90