How to Get a Vermont Liquor License

Last updated: September 11, 2026

In Vermont everyone who serves or sells alcohol is trained before the first shift — including the owner — and the license does not renew until the Division’s records show it. The seminar is $25 a person for a first-, second- or third-class licensee and it repeats every two years. The licenses themselves are modest: $230 for a first-class license to pour beer, wine and ready-to-drink spirits, $1,095 for the third-class license that adds spirits. Two gates come before either: your town must have voted to allow the sales, and its local control commissioners must approve you before the state will even process the application.

Training: Everyone, Before the First Shift, Every Two Years

Vermont’s training rule is written into the licensing chapter itself. Under 7 V.S.A. §213, every holder of a first-, second-, third-, fourth-class or manufacturer’s license must complete a Division of Liquor Control seminar — a new licensee before receiving the license, and at least once every two years after that. The same section reaches the staff: employees involved in delivering, selling or serving alcoholic beverages must complete the training before they begin, and at least once every 24 months thereafter.

The enforcement is structural rather than a fine. A first-, second-, third-, fourth-class or manufacturer’s license shall not be renewed unless the Division’s records show the licensee has complied. An employer who lets an untrained employee serve is subject to a suspension of the license for not less than one day, or a fine of not more than $100, or both.

The seminar fee is set in the statute: $25 per person for a first-, second- or third-class licensee, $10 per person for a fourth-class or manufacturer’s licensee. The Division’s storefront prices the 2026 online First Class Server and Second Class Seller programs at $25.00 each. There are three ways to satisfy the rule: an in-person seminar run by Division educators, the online seminar, or in-house training delivered by an employee who holds the Division’s Train the Trainer certification — which itself requires a current Division certificate and no violations in the past two years.

Two floor rules to hire around. No one under 18 may work as a bartender or serve alcoholic beverages on a third-class premises. And the Division’s education page notes that its materials have not yet caught up with the 2025-2026 legislative session, so read the Act 137 summary alongside the seminar.

The Town Comes First, Twice

The vote. Under 7 V.S.A. §201 no first- or second-class license may be granted in a city or town whose voters have voted no on the sale of malt beverages, vinous beverages and ready-to-drink spirits beverages, and no third-class license where the voters have said no to fortified wines and spirits. The two questions are separate: a town can allow beer and wine and refuse spirits. Check both before you sign a lease.

The commissioners. Every town’s selectboard sits as its local control commissioners, administering the Board of Liquor and Lottery’s rules locally, and a first- or third-class application must be approved by the municipality before the Department of Liquor and Lottery will process it. The Department’s online portal routes the application to the town automatically; the town approves; you receive a state payment notice; the Department reviews and schedules an on-premises meeting; and only then is the license issued. Until it is, you cannot serve. Municipalities may attach conditions of their own to a license where the voters have approved an ordinance, and may suspend or revoke for breaching them.

Meals, and Buying from the State

A first-class license is for premises “devoted primarily to dispensing meals to the public,” with adequate and sanitary space and equipment for preparing and serving them; the Vermont bar is, in statute, a restaurant. A third-class license permits the sale of spirits and fortified wines for consumption on the premises, and its holder must purchase all of them from the Board of Liquor and Lottery — Vermont is a control state, and the 802 Spirits agency stores are your supplier. Second-class holders buy their beer and wine only from Vermont wholesale dealers or packagers.

What It Costs

License or permit	What it does	State fee
First-class license	Malt, vinous and ready-to-drink spirits beverages for consumption on the premises — at least 50 percent of the fee goes to your town	$230
Third-class license	Spirits and fortified wines for consumption on the premises	$1,095 annual; $550 six-month
Stand-alone third-class	Local processing fee retained by the town	$50
Second-class license	Malt, vinous and ready-to-drink spirits beverages for consumption off the premises — at least 50 percent to the town	$140
Fourth-class license	A manufacturer’s own tasting room or retail outlet, up to 20 per manufacturer	$70
Caterer’s license	Off-premises catering; from Act 137, also lets a first-, second- or third-class holder host up to five functions a year on its own premises	$250
Commercial catering license / request to cater		$220 / $20
Outside consumption permit	Patio or lawn service	$20
Retail delivery permit		$100
Fortified wine permit		$100
Special events permit / limited event permit		$35 / $250
Sampling event permit / tasting permit		$125 / $25
Destination resort master license		$1,000
Training seminar	Every licensee and every serving or selling employee, before starting and every two years	$25 per person (first-, second-, third-class); $10 fourth-class or manufacturer
Vermont LLC	Articles of Organization, 11 V.S.A. §4023	$155; annual report $45

Train Everyone, and Sell You the Spirits: What Vermont’s Two Rules Do Together

Put the training rule beside the dram shop statute and Vermont’s design becomes clear. Under 7 V.S.A. §501 a person injured by an intoxicated person — a spouse, child, guardian, employer or anyone else, though not the intoxicated person — may sue a licensee who unlawfully sold to a minor or after legal serving hours, or who negligently served someone apparently under the influence, or someone a reasonable person would expect to become intoxicated from the amount served. There is no damage cap in the section, and the suit must be brought within two years. Social hosts are generally immune unless they knowingly furnish alcohol to a minor; licensees are not.

The same section then says that evidence of responsible actions taken or not taken is admissible: training servers in the law, intervention techniques, telling patrons about the consumption laws, and asking about age and intoxication. Maine wrote a nearly identical evidentiary clause and left the training voluntary, betting that a cheap course would sell itself against a liability cap. Vermont wrote the clause and then made the training mandatory anyway — before the first shift, every two years, for the owner as well as the staff, with the renewal held hostage to it. Utah also trains before the first shift; Texas gives its safe harbor 30 days, California 60. Vermont is in the first group, and it checks the licensee’s own certificate at renewal.

The second distinction is supply. A third-class licensee “shall purchase from the Board of Liquor and Lottery all spirits and fortified wines dispensed.” That is the control-state model: the state is the wholesaler, the 802 Spirits agency stores are the counter, and the margin structure a bar in a license state negotiates with distributors is fixed here by the Board’s price list. It is also why the third-class fee is split the way it is — 55 percent to the Liquor Control Enterprise Fund and 45 percent to alcohol abuse prevention and treatment — while first- and second-class fees send at least half to the town that approved you.

One 2026 change is worth knowing before you plan events. Act 137 lets holders of first-, second- and third-class licenses obtain a caterer’s license to host up to five functions a year on their own licensed premises, and it aligns off-premises and curbside sales hours with the underlying license’s hours of sale.

How to Get Licensed, In Order

1. Confirm the town has voted yes — separately for malt, vinous and ready-to-drink beverages, and for spirits and fortified wines. A no on either closes that class.
2. Talk to the town clerk and the selectboard, who are your local control commissioners. Ask what conditions the town attaches and whether it charges a local fee.
3. Register the entity — Vermont Articles of Organization are $155, with a $45 annual report.
4. Complete the seminar yourself before applying: a new licensee must attend before receiving the license. It is $25 online.
5. Choose the classes: first-class at $230 for beer, wine and ready-to-drink spirits; add the third-class at $1,095 (or $550 for six months) if you will pour spirits, and plan to buy them from the Board.
6. Apply on the Department’s online portal. It routes to the town; the town approves; you pay the state; the Department reviews and schedules an on-premises meeting; the license is issued and downloadable. Nothing can be served before that.
7. Train every server and seller before they start, and keep the certificates, because the Division’s records decide your renewal.

Staying Licensed

Renewal is the training audit. A first-, second-, third-, fourth-class or manufacturer’s license shall not be renewed unless the Division’s records show the licensee has completed the seminar within the last two years. Put your own recertification on the calendar a season before the license expires, not the week of.

Staff turn over faster than the two-year cycle. Every new hire who will serve or sell trains before their first shift, and each one recertifies within 24 months. The penalty for a lapse is a suspension of at least one day, a fine of up to $100, or both — and the suspension is the part that costs money. If you have a manager with a current certificate and a clean two-year record, the Train the Trainer route lets you certify new hires in-house.

The town keeps its conditions. Where voters have approved an ordinance, the local commissioners may condition the license on complying with it and may suspend or revoke for a breach, independently of the state.

The liability is real and uncapped. Serving a minor, serving after legal hours, or serving someone apparently under the influence each opens a civil action under §501, with a two-year limitations period. The training records are also your evidence of responsible practice under the same section; that is why they are worth keeping even when no inspector is asking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a liquor license in Vermont?

The state fees in 7 V.S.A. §204 are $230 for a first-class license (beer, wine and ready-to-drink spirits for consumption on the premises), $1,095 a year for a third-class license (spirits and fortified wines on the premises) or $550 for six months, and $140 for a second-class off-premises license. A stand-alone third-class license also carries a $50 local processing fee retained by the town. At least half of every first- and second-class fee goes to the municipality. Towns may charge fees of their own.

Do you need a license to bartend in Vermont?

Not a license, but training is mandatory. Under 7 V.S.A. §213 every employee involved in delivering, selling or serving alcoholic beverages must complete a Division of Liquor Control seminar before they begin and at least once every 24 months after. The licensee must complete it too, before receiving the license and every two years thereafter, and the license will not be renewed without proof. No one under 18 may bartend or serve on a third-class premises.

How much does Vermont alcohol server training cost?

The statute sets the seminar fee at $25 per person for first-, second- and third-class licensees and their staff, and $10 per person for fourth-class and manufacturer licensees. The Division’s online First Class Server and Second Class Seller programs for 2026 are priced at $25.00. In-person seminars by Division educators and in-house training by a certified trainer also satisfy the rule.

Does my Vermont town have to approve a liquor license?

Yes, twice over. First, the town’s voters must have voted to permit the sales — beer, wine and ready-to-drink spirits as one question, spirits and fortified wines as another. Second, the local control commissioners must approve the application before the Department of Liquor and Lottery will process it; the online portal routes it to the town automatically, and the state only reviews and schedules its on-premises meeting after the town approves.

Can a Vermont bar be sued for over-serving?

Yes. Under 7 V.S.A. §501 a person injured by an intoxicated person may sue a licensee who sold to a minor, sold after legal serving hours, or negligently served someone apparently under the influence or reasonably expected to become intoxicated. The section sets no damage cap and a two-year limitations period. Evidence of responsible actions — server training, intervention, warning patrons, checking age and intoxication — is admissible.

Where does a Vermont bar buy its liquor?

From the state. A third-class licensee must purchase all spirits and fortified wines it dispenses from the Board of Liquor and Lottery, through the 802 Spirits agency stores. Beer, wine and ready-to-drink spirits come from Vermont-licensed wholesale dealers or packagers.

What did Vermont change in 2026?

Act 137 lets first-, second- and third-class licensees obtain a caterer’s license to host up to five functions a year on their own licensed premises, aligns off-premises and curbside sales hours with the underlying license’s hours of sale, lets retail tasting permit applications be filed one business day before the event, and sets new pour limits at fourth-class tasting rooms. The Division notes its seminar materials have not yet incorporated the 2025-2026 changes.

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

Sources

Source	What It Covers
7 V.S.A. §204 — Application and renewal fees; disposition of fees	Fees: first-class license $230.00; second-class license $140.00; third-class license $1,095.00 annual and $550.00 six-month; fourth-class license $70.00; caterer’s license $250.00; commercial catering license $220.00; request to cater permit $20.00; special events permit $35.00; sampling event permit $125.00; alcoholic beverages tasting permit $25.00; limited event permit $250.00; outside consumption permit $20.00; fortified wine permit $100.00; retail delivery permit $100.00; destination resort master license $1,000.00. Disposition: at least 50 percent of first- and second-class fees to the municipality; third-class fees 55 percent to the Liquor Control Enterprise Fund and 45 percent to alcohol abuse prevention and treatment; a $50 local processing fee retained by the town for stand-alone third-class licenses
7 V.S.A. §213 — Licensee education	Every first-, second-, third-, fourth-class and manufacturer’s licensee shall complete a Division seminar before receiving a license and at least once every two years; employees involved in delivering, selling or serving must complete it before they begin and at least once every 24 months; the license shall not be renewed unless the Division’s records show compliance; seminar fee $25.00 per person for first-, second- and third-class, $10.00 per person for fourth-class and manufacturer’s licensees; failure is subject to suspension for not less than one day or a fine of not more than $100.00, or both
7 V.S.A. §201 — Licenses contingent on town vote	First- and second-class licenses may not be granted in a city or town whose voters vote no on the sale of malt beverages, vinous beverages and ready-to-drink spirits beverages; third-class licenses require a yes vote on fortified wines and spirits
7 V.S.A. §221 — First-class licenses	A first-class license permits the sale of malt beverages, vinous beverages and ready-to-drink spirits beverages for consumption only on the premises; premises must be devoted primarily to dispensing meals to the public with adequate and sanitary space and equipment for preparing and serving meals
7 V.S.A. §222 — Second-class licenses	A second-class license permits sale of malt, vinous and ready-to-drink spirits beverages for consumption off the premises; holders procure beverages from Vermont wholesale dealers or packagers; a separate license for each location
7 V.S.A. §223 — Third-class licenses	A third-class license holder may sell spirits and fortified wines for consumption only on the licensed premises; the holder shall purchase from the Board of Liquor and Lottery all spirits and fortified wines dispensed; premises must have adequate and sanitary space and equipment for preparing and serving meals; no one under 18 may work as a bartender or server of alcoholic beverages
7 V.S.A. §224 — Fourth-class licenses	The Board may grant a manufacturer or rectifier a combined total of 20 fourth-class licenses to sell by the unopened container or distribute by the glass beverages it manufactures
7 V.S.A. §167 — Duties of local control commissioners	Local control commissioners administer the rules furnished by the Board of Liquor and Lottery; may condition licenses on compliance with a municipal ordinance approved by the voters and may suspend or revoke a license or permit for a violation of those conditions
7 V.S.A. §501 — Unlawful sale; civil action for damages	An injured person — spouse, child, guardian, employer or other person, not the intoxicated person — may bring an action against a licensee who unlawfully sold to a minor or after legal serving hours, or negligently served a person apparently under the influence or whom a reasonable person would expect to become intoxicated; two-year limitations period; social hosts immune unless knowingly furnishing to a minor; evidence of responsible actions taken or not taken is admissible, including server training on alcohol laws, intervention techniques, admonishing patrons about consumption laws and inquiring about age and intoxication
Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery — Serving Beverage Alcohol (restaurant and bar licenses)	First-class license allows beer, wine and ready-to-drink spirits for consumption on the premises; third-class allows spirits; both must be approved by the local municipality before the Department can process the application; apply through the online portal, which routes to the municipality; after municipal approval, state payment, Department review and an on-premises meeting, the license is issued; until issued you cannot serve; state fees are non-refundable and set in Title 7; municipal fees vary
Vermont Division of Liquor Control — Education	All sellers and servers of alcohol must be trained before they start working and recertify every 2 years; three compliant options: in-person seminars by Division educators, online seminars, and in-house training by employees holding Train the Trainer certification; educational materials have not yet incorporated the 2025-2026 legislative updates (Act 137 and Act 148)
Vermont Division of Liquor Control — In-House Training	In-house trainers must hold a valid DLL online or instructor-led training certificate, have no DLL violations in the past 2 years, complete the Train the Trainer session, and agree to follow all DLL procedures
Vermont Division of Liquor Control — Seminar storefront	1st Class Server Training Program 2026 $25.00; 2nd Class Seller Training Program 2026 $25.00
Vermont Division of Liquor Control — Act 137 (H.921) summary	Caterer’s licenses may be issued to holders of first-, second- and third-class licenses to host up to 5 functions per year on their own licensed premises; off-premises and curbside sales hours now parallel underlying license hours of sale; retail tasting permit applications may be submitted one business day prior to the event; manufacturers may license up to 20 fourth-class locations; updated pour sizes at fourth-class tasting rooms
Vermont Secretary of State — Business services fees and statutes	Limited liability company Articles of Organization $155.00 (11 V.S.A. §4023); annual report $45.00 (11 V.S.A. §4033)