How to Get a Maryland Liquor License

Last updated: September 11, 2026

There is no Maryland state liquor license for a bar, restaurant or store. The state’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission licenses manufacturers and wholesalers; retail licenses are issued by the liquor board in each of the state’s 24 counties and Baltimore City, each with its own classes, fees and hearing rules. The one statewide requirement that follows every retail licensee is the alcohol awareness certificate under Alcoholic Beverages Article §4-505: the license holder or a designated employee completes an approved program, the certificate lasts four years, and the fine for ignoring it starts at $100. Maryland is also one of the states where a bar cannot be sued for a patron’s drunk driving — the Court of Appeals declined to create dram shop liability in 2013 and left the question to the General Assembly.

Training: One Certified Person Per License, Every Four Years

Maryland does not license bartenders, but it does require certification at the license level. Alcoholic Beverages Article §4-505 says that a holder of any retail alcoholic beverages license, or an employee designated by the holder, shall complete training in an approved alcohol awareness program. The program must cover how alcohol affects behavior and the body, the dangers of drinking and driving, how to determine whether a customer is under the legal drinking age, how to serve to minimize the chance of intoxication, and how to stop service before a customer becomes intoxicated.

The certificate of completion is valid for 4 years from issuance, and the holder or employee completes retraining for each successive four-year period. Programs and their instructors are permitted by the Commission’s Executive Director; an individual may not teach without an alcohol awareness instructor’s permit. A license holder who violates the requirement is subject to a $100 fine for a first offense and, for each subsequent offense, a fine of up to $500, suspension or revocation of the license, or both.

Counties build on the state rule in their own application packets. Montgomery County’s guide tells applicants to “plan to become Alcohol-Awareness certified” through a state-approved private trainer — typically a four-hour class leading to a certificate good for four years — and to bring the certificate when picking up the license.

Which Board, and What It Asks

The Commission’s own instructions for retailers are one sentence: to become a licensed retailer, “you may apply with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the jurisdiction where your business is located,” and the Commission lists the 24 local liquor boards — Allegany through Worcester, plus Baltimore City — each of which may have its own set of requirements. The state-level licenses the Commission does issue (manufacturing, wholesaling, transportation and storage permits) are applied for online through Maryland OneStop, but none of them is what a bar needs.

Montgomery County shows what a board process looks like. A new or transfer application carries a non-refundable $600 application fee for all classes and a $120 fingerprint processing fee for each applicant and manager; fingerprints are taken for all applicants and the manager. Once the file is reviewed a hearing date is assigned, and the county provides a poster announcing the hearing that must be displayed at the facility 30 days before it, with written notice sent to the applicant. A transfer application must be submitted within 30 days of the settlement date or the license expires. The license is picked up after the hearing with the license fee payment, the alcohol awareness certificate and any documents the Board or the inspector requested.

Classes and Annual Fees Are Local

Each board publishes its own class list. In Montgomery County the on-sale beer, wine and liquor license for a hotel or restaurant (Class B BWLHR) is $2,500 a year, and that class requires a minimum of 40% food sales to alcohol sales. The Class D beer, wine and liquor license is $3,000, the on- and off-sale Class BD is $3,500, a Class H beer and wine restaurant license is $400, and off-sale licenses run from $100 for wine only to $250 for beer and wine. Your county’s numbers will differ; the structure — a class letter, a beverage set, on- or off-sale, and hours — is the same shape everywhere.

What It Costs

Fee or requirement	Who sets it	Amount
Retail license classes and annual fees	Your county or city liquor board (24 jurisdictions)	Local — see the board
Montgomery County example: application fee, all classes	Board of License Commissioners	$600, non-refundable
Montgomery County example: fingerprint processing	Per applicant and manager	$120
Montgomery County example: Class B BWLHR (hotel or restaurant, on-sale beer, wine and liquor)	Annual fee; at least 40% food sales to alcohol	$2,500
Montgomery County example: renewal application fee	Board of License Commissioners, due with the renewal	$100 online; $120 by paper
Montgomery County example: Class D BWL (on-sale beer, wine and liquor)	Annual fee	$3,000
Montgomery County example: Class BD BWL (on- and off-sale)	Annual fee	$3,500
Montgomery County example: Class H BWHR (beer and wine, hotel or restaurant)	Annual fee	$400
Montgomery County example: Class A off-sale	Wine only / beer and wine	$100 / $250
Alcohol awareness certificate	State law, §4-505; approved private trainers	Course price set by the provider; valid 4 years
Penalty for no certified person	§4-505	$100 first offense; up to $500, suspension or revocation after
Maryland LLC	SDAT Articles of Organization / annual report (Form 1)	$100 / $300 a year

No Dram Shop Law: What the Warr Decision Means for a Maryland Bar

In most of the country a bar that serves a visibly intoxicated patron who then injures someone can be sued by the victim. Maryland is different, and the reason is a 2013 case. In Warr v. JMGM Group, LLC, 433 Md. 170 (2013), a family injured by a driver who had been served at a Gaithersburg alehouse sued the owner; the trial court ruled the case could not proceed because Maryland does not have a dram shop liability law, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. The Court held that Maryland does not recognize a cause of action against a tavern for harm caused by an intoxicated patron off the premises in the absence of a special relationship between the tavern and the person harmed — and, as the General Assembly’s own fiscal note on a later bill summarized, that whether to change the common law and impose liability “involves significant public policy considerations that are best left to the General Assembly.” Bills to create dram shop liability have been introduced since; the fiscal note for one of them, House Bill 345 of 2016, describes the proposal and notes that while a majority of states have dram shop laws, Maryland does not.

That does not make over-service free. Every board can suspend or revoke a license for violations of the Alcoholic Beverages Article, the §4-505 certificate exists precisely to teach servers to stop service before intoxication, and your insurer will price liquor liability coverage on your record regardless of what a civil court would do. Montana went the other direction with the same policy question and wrote a statute that both permits the suit and caps it; Alabama permits it with a “knowingly” standard. Maryland has, so far, answered by not answering.

The practical consequence is where your attention goes. In Maryland the license is a local political decision — a hearing, a poster on the door for a month, a board that knows the neighborhood — and the compliance burden that follows is the board’s rules and the state’s certificate, not a dram shop verdict.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Find your board. Retail licenses are issued by the liquor board of the county or city where the premises sit; the Commission’s site lists all 24 and directs retail applicants to apply in that jurisdiction.
2. Register the entity — Maryland Articles of Organization are $100 at SDAT, and the LLC files a $300 annual report (Form 1) by April 15 each year.
3. Pick the class from your board’s list — on-sale beer, wine and liquor for a bar or restaurant, off-sale for a store — and read its hours and food-ratio conditions.
4. Assemble the board’s packet. In Montgomery County that is the $600 application fee, $120 fingerprint processing per applicant and manager, and the required documents for the class.
5. Get alcohol-awareness certified — the license holder or a designated employee, through a state-approved program; the certificate is good for four years.
6. Post the hearing notice and attend the hearing. Montgomery County requires the poster on the facility 30 days before the hearing date.
7. Pay the annual license fee and pick up the license with the certificate and anything the Board or its inspector requested.

Staying Licensed

Keep a certified person on the license. The §4-505 certificate expires after four years; the fine for a lapse is $100 the first time and up to $500, suspension or revocation after that. Put the retraining date on the same calendar as the renewal.

Renewal is with the board, on its schedule. Each jurisdiction runs its own renewal cycle and protest process. Montgomery County’s 2026 window ran February 1 to March 31, with a $100 renewal application fee online ($120 by paper) and the annual license fee due by April 30.

Transfers have a clock. In Montgomery County a transfer application must be filed within 30 days of the settlement date or the license expires with the sale.

File Form 1 by April 15. The $300 annual report keeps the LLC in good standing with SDAT regardless of whether it owns property or earned income in Maryland; failure can end in forfeiture of the entity that holds your license.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a liquor license in Maryland?

It depends on the county or city, because Maryland has no state retail license — each of the 24 local liquor boards sets its own classes and fees. In Montgomery County, for example, a new application costs $600 plus $120 per fingerprinted applicant and manager, and annual fees run $2,500 for a hotel or restaurant beer, wine and liquor license (Class B BWLHR, which also requires at least 40% food sales to alcohol), $3,000 for Class D BWL, $3,500 for the on- and off-sale Class BD, $400 for a beer and wine restaurant license, and $100 to $250 for off-sale wine or beer-and-wine licenses.

Who issues liquor licenses in Maryland?

Retail licenses come from the local board of license commissioners in each county and Baltimore City — 24 jurisdictions. The state’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission licenses manufacturers, wholesalers and transportation and storage permits, and its instructions tell retailers to apply in the jurisdiction where the business is located.

Do you need a license to bartend in Maryland?

No individual bartender license, but Alcoholic Beverages Article §4-505 requires the holder of any retail license, or an employee the holder designates, to complete an approved alcohol awareness program. The certificate is valid for four years and must be renewed for each four-year period; violations bring a $100 fine for a first offense and up to $500, suspension or revocation for each later one.

Does Maryland have a dram shop law?

No. In Warr v. JMGM Group, LLC, 433 Md. 170 (2013), the Court of Appeals held that Maryland does not recognize a cause of action against a tavern for harm caused by an intoxicated patron off the premises, absent a special relationship, and said the policy decision belongs to the General Assembly. Legislation to create dram shop liability has been proposed since, and the General Assembly’s fiscal note on House Bill 345 of 2016 states that while a majority of states have dram shop laws, Maryland does not.

How long does a Maryland liquor license hearing take?

Each board sets its own process. In Montgomery County, after the application is reviewed a hearing date is assigned and a poster announcing it must be displayed at the facility for 30 days before the hearing; the applicant receives written notice and picks up the license afterward with the fee payment and the alcohol awareness certificate.

What does a Maryland LLC cost?

Articles of Organization are $100 at the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, and every LLC files an annual report (Form 1) with a $300 filing fee by April 15 each year, payable whether or not the business owns property or earned income in Maryland.

Can I transfer a Maryland liquor license when I buy a bar?

Transfers run through the same local board. In Montgomery County the transfer application must be submitted within 30 days of the settlement date or the license expires, and the buyer pays the $600 application fee and $120 fingerprint processing per applicant and manager, with the existing licensees signing the transfer authorization.

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

Sources

Source	What It Covers
Maryland Alcohol, Tobacco, and Cannabis Commission — How to apply for alcohol and tobacco licenses and permits	The ATCC licenses manufacturers, wholesalers, and transportation and storage permits at the state level, applied for online through Maryland OneStop; to become a licensed retailer, you may apply with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the jurisdiction where your business is located; 24 local liquor boards are listed (Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, Worcester), each of which may have its own set of requirements
Maryland Alcoholic Beverages Article §4-505 — Alcohol awareness program	A holder of any retail alcoholic beverages license or an employee designated by the holder shall complete training in an approved alcohol awareness program; program content includes how alcohol affects behavior and the body, dangers of drinking and driving, determining whether a customer is under the legal drinking age, serving to minimize intoxication and stopping service; certificate valid for 4 years from issuance with retraining for each successive 4-year period; instructors must obtain an alcohol awareness instructor’s permit; violation: first offense a $100 fine, each subsequent offense a fine not to exceed $500 or suspension or revocation of the license or both
Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services — How to Apply for a New or Transfer Annual Alcoholic Beverage License	$600 non-refundable application fee for all classes of alcohol license, paid at the time of application; $120 fingerprint processing fee for each applicant and manager; fingerprints for all applicants and manager; a poster announcing the hearing date is provided for posting at the facility thirty (30) days prior to the hearing; a transfer application must be submitted within 30 days of the settlement date or the license will expire; Class B beer, wine and liquor: minimum ratio of food sales to alcohol sales must be 40% food or higher; plan to become Alcohol-Awareness certified through a State-approved private trainer, typically a four-hour class leading to a certificate good for four years
Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services — License Types, Hours, and Cost (2025)	Class A W $100 off-sale wine only; Class A BW $250 off-sale beer and wine; Class B BWLHR $2,500 on-sale beer, wine and liquor (hotel/restaurant); Class BD BWL $3,500 on and off sale; Class C BWLCC $2,000 country club; Class D BWL $3,000 on-sale beer, wine and liquor; Class D B $250 beer; Class H BWHR $400 on-sale beer and wine
Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services — 2026 Renewal Instructions and Fees	$100 renewal fee due when the application is submitted; $20 processing fee for any submission method other than the online renewal portal; Class B beer, wine and liquor hotel/restaurant $2,500; Class BD beer, wine and liquor $3,500; Class D beer, wine and liquor $3,000; Class H beer $400 and beer and wine $400; Class A beer and wine $250, wine $100
Maryland General Assembly — Fiscal and Policy Note, House Bill 345 (2016)	While a majority of states do have dram shop laws, Maryland does not; the Warrs sued JMGM Group, LLC, owner of Dogfish Head Alehouse, and the trial court decided the case could not proceed because Maryland does not have a dram shop liability law; the Court of Appeals affirmed (Warr v. JMGM Group, LLC, 433 Md. 170 (2013)), stating that whether to change the common law and impose liability on an alcoholic beverages licensee for damages caused by serving a visibly intoxicated patron involves significant public policy considerations that are best left to the General Assembly
Court of Appeals of Maryland — Warr v. JMGM Group, LLC, No. 57, September Term 2012 (filed July 25, 2013)	The Court of Appeals held that Maryland does not recognize a cause of action against a tavern for harm caused by an intoxicated patron, off premises, in the absence of a special relationship between the tavern and the person harmed; opinion by Battaglia, J., with Harrell, Adkins and McDonald, JJ., dissenting
Maryland SDAT — List of Fees for Charter Services and Document Filings	Limited liability companies: Articles of Organization $100 (domestic)
Maryland SDAT — 2026 Form 1, Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return	Filing fee: domestic or foreign limited liability company $300; file online at Maryland Business Express
Maryland SDAT — Instructions for Form 1 Annual Report (2023)	The filing fee for most business entities is $300 and must accompany the Annual Report; domestic limited liability company $300; the fee must be paid regardless of whether the business owns property in Maryland, generates any income in Maryland or conducts any business in Maryland; the deadline to file is April 15th; failure may result in Not in Good Standing status and eventual forfeiture