What It Costs to Obtain a TABC License, and Where Hidden Delays Add Expense

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A TABC license costs its state fee plus several items outside it. For the common retail licenses, TABC’s two-year fees, effective September 1, 2021, run from $1,100 for a Retail Dealer’s On-Premise License (BE) to $5,300 for an original Mixed Beverage Permit (MB), with add-on certificates such as the Food and Beverage Certificate at $1,100. Cities and counties may add a local fee capped at half of the statutory fee, and a business may also pay for a bond, newspaper notice, certifications, and professional help. The expense that appears on no fee chart is time: rent and payroll running while the application waits.

TABC’s state fees

TABC’s license and permit fees chart shows the total two-year fee a business pays TABC when it applies or renews. Selected fees from the chart TABC linked as of September 26, 2026, effective September 1, 2021:

License or permit Two-year fee
Mixed Beverage Permit (MB) $5,300 original; $2,650 renewal
Private Club Registration Permit (N) $2,600
Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer's Permit (BG) $1,900
Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer's Off-Premise Permit (BQ) $1,900
Package Store Permit (P) $1,800
Retail Dealer's On-Premise License (BE) $1,100
Retail Dealer's Off-Premise License (BF) $1,100
Food and Beverage Certificate (FB) $1,100
Late Hours Certificate (LH) $1,100
Brewpub License (BP) $1,100
Brewer's License (BW), Distiller's and Rectifier's Permit (D), Winery Permit (G) $3,000 each

A restaurant with a Mixed Beverage Permit, a Food and Beverage Certificate, and a Late Hours Certificate pays each fee separately. For a new full-bar restaurant applying for all three, the TABC fees at application come to $7,500 ($5,300 + $1,100 + $1,100). The FB also takes that restaurant outside the conduct surety bond requirement, while any local fee cannot be worked out from this chart and has to come from the city and county.

Local fees

Under Section 11.38 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code, a city and a county may each levy a fee for a permit issued for premises within their boundaries, capped at half of the statutory fee in effect on August 31, 2021, for that permit. TABC notes that its current fee chart should not be used to calculate local fees and publishes the maximum local fees separately for local governments. Whether a city or county charges the fee is a local decision, and TABC will not renew a license until local fees and taxes are paid.

Other direct costs

  • Bonds. Depending on the permit and location, a conduct surety bond, a performance bond, or a fee interest bond, unless an exemption applies.
  • Newspaper notice. Publication in two consecutive issues of a local newspaper for the permits that require it, at the applicant’s expense.
  • Mailed notice. Written notice by mail to nearby residences and neighborhood associations, for applicants that must give it.
  • The 60-day sign. TABC provides the sign and may charge a fee for it.
  • Certifications and training. Local certification fees where charged, seller-server certification for staff, and the Comptroller’s requirements for a sales tax permit, which can include security.
  • Professional help. Consultants, surveyors for distance measurements, and attorneys where an issue is contested.

Where delay adds expense

Delay costs money because a lease, payroll, and financing can start before the permit arrives. The waiting periods are built into the process: the local offices’ statutory time to certify, the 60-day sign period for new on-premise locations that need the sign, and TABC’s own processing time for a complete application. They add up when they run one after another instead of together, or when a file comes back for missing information. Starting the sign and the certifications as soon as the location is secured, and filing a complete application, is the practical way to keep that cost down.

This article is general information about Texas alcoholic beverage law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes and TABC rules change; confirm current requirements with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the relevant city or county, or a licensed Texas attorney before acting.

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