A schedule of fees relating to alcohol licensing applications and renewals.

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 brought in a risk-based fee regime. Before December 2013 all fees were set nationally and were the same across licensed premises, regardless of the costs and risks an operation might create. The new regime has been designed to:

  • Recover all costs of the licensing system
  • Allocate costs more fairly across the industry
  • Provide territorial authorities with flexibility to respond to local conditions;
  • Establish fair and pragmatic transitional arrangements; and
  • Minimise alcohol-related harm to the extent that is possible and reasonable through a cost recovery fees regime.

Regulations have set default fees for all types of licence. The fees vary depending on the cost/risk rating of each premises based on style of licence, hours and enforcements in the last 18 months. Any additional fees that are not set by the Regulations are set by Council and may be subject to annual review with any changes taking effect from 1 July each year.

When preparing your alcohol licensing applications please make sure you use the latest version of the forms available on this website. Use of out-of-date forms may delay assessment of your application and also risk your application being returned as incomplete.

Payment of fees and variation based on decisions of District Licensing Committees (DLC) and further information

All applications must be accompanied by the relevant fee when filed with us. Your application will not be complete and will be put on hold for processing until all fees due are paid in full. Note: Application fees are non refundable.

Territorial authorities will make a determination of the application fee based on the information provided by the applicant and any other relevant information available (including from the DLC) to the territorial authority at the time.

If the fee category of an applicant changes due to further information becoming available during the process of considering the application, then provision will be made for the fee to be adjusted accordingly.

When do I have to start paying these fees?

This fee regime started on 18 December 2013. The fees apply to all licence applications and manager’s certificates.

Existing licences must pay annual fees each year on the anniversary date of the issue of the licence. While we do send out invoices two months before they are due to your address we have on our records, it is your responsibility to ensure all annual fees due are paid on time. 

Please note that failing to pay the annual fee within 30 days after the due date will result in the licence being automatically suspended.

If your licence is suspended you may not sell and supply alcohol until the fee and any penalty charges are paid.

For new licences the relevant annual fee must be paid by the applicant before the licence is issued.

On licence, off licence or club licences

The fees consist of:

  • An application fee – paid by licensees when they apply for a new, renewed or varied licence; and
  • An annual fee, which must be paid by licensees each year.

The risk weighting you are given will be determined by the territorial authority. The way the territorial authority will calculate the weighting your premises is given is detailed in the tables below. Restaurants and clubs will be rated according to the “class” they fit within.

Type of licensed premise Weighting
Off-licence: Liquor store, Supermarket, Grocery 15
On-licence: Nightclub, Tavern, Adult premises, Class 1 restaurant 15
Off-licence: Across the bar sales at a tavern 10
On-licence: Hotel, Function centre, Class 2 restaurant, Universities and polytechnics 10
Club licence: Class 1 club 10
Off-licence: Remote sales, Chartered club
On-licence: Class 3 restaurant, Other (not otherwise specified)
Club licence: Class 2 club
Other: Off-licence: Auctioneer, On-licence: Caterer, Conveyance		 5
On-licence: Theatres/cinemas, BYO restaurant, Winery
Off-licence: Winery cellar door
Club licence: Class 3 clubs		 2
Latest alcohol sale time Weighting

On-licence and club licence: Before 2.01am

Off-licence: Before 10.01pm, Remote Sales (including 24 hour)

 0

On-licence and club licence: 2.01am – 3.01am

Off-licence: 10.01pm and later

 3
On-licence and club licence: All other closing times 5 

 

Number of enforcements (last 18 months) Weighting
None 0
1 10
2 20

Fee categories

Total weighting Cost/risk fee category Application fee (GST inclusive) Annual fee (GST inclusive)
0 - 2 Very low $368 $161
3 -5 Low $609.50 $391
6 - 15 Medium $816.50 $632.50
16 - 25 High $1,023.50 $1,035
26 plus Very high $1,207.50 $1,437.50

Restaurant and club "Class" definitions

Class Description
“Class 1” restaurants These restaurants have a significant separate bar area, and in the opinion of the relevant territorial authority, operate that bar at least one night a week in the nature of a tavern, such as serving alcohol without meals to tables situated in the bar area.
“Class 2” restaurants These restaurants have a separate bar, but of the relevant territorial authority, in the do not operate in the nature of a tavern at any time.
“Class 3” restaurants These restaurants only serve alcohol to the table and have no separate bar.
“Class 1” clubs These are large clubs with more than 1,000 members of drinking age and which, in opinion of the territorial authority, operate in the nature of a tavern.
“Class 2” clubs Clubs which do not fit class 1 or 3 definitions.
“Class 3” clubs Clubs which in the opinion of the territorial authority are small clubs (with up to 250 members of drinking age) and which typically operate a bar for 40 hours or less per week.

What is an annual fee?

The new fee regime brings in an annual fee for all licences that is due on the anniversary date of the issue of the last licence. The amount of the annual fee you pay will be determined on the fee category and risk rating at the day the annual fee is due. This is
important, as the annual fee could change throughout the year, particularly where the licensee has had a compliance issue that has been affecting their fees category over the past 18 months.

The only exemption are existing licensees who paid application fee between 18/12/2012 and 17/12/2013. These are exempt until 18/12/2014.

How do enforcements affect what fee I pay?

Any enforcement action taken against your premises by the agencies will now affect the fees you pay for a licence. We will take into account any enforcement action taken in the previous 18 months of any application or annual fee falling due.

Enforcement action is classed as a “holding”. This is dealt with under section 288 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

Sections 289 and 290 apply to a finding (holding) of the licensing authority that a person who is a licensee or a manager of any licensed premises has:

  • Encouraged excessive consumption
  • Promoted/advertised discounting of more than 25% (unless on the premises, or in remote sales off-licence catalogue)
  • Held/had on the premises promotion/advertising of discounts of more than 25% and could be seen/heard from outside premises
  • Promoted/advertised alcohol free of charge, other than complimentary samples or by promotion/advertisement within licensed premises that could not be seen.
  • Offered goods/services/opportunity to win prize on condition alcohol was bought (other than offer only on licensed premises and only in relation to buying alcohol on those premises)
  • Promoted competition that required/enabled entry by alcohol purchase, other than offering (on licensed premises) goods/services/opportunity to obtain/win prize or by stocking/displaying/selling alcohol concerned
  • Promoted/advertised in manner had/likely to have special appeal to minors
  • Sold/supplied to minor
  • Allowed alcohol to be sold/supplied to minor
  • Unauthorised sale/supply
  • Sale to intoxicated person

Public Notice of application fee

From 16 April 2018 all alcohol licence application public notices (for premises new, renewal, and variation applications) are published on the dedicated webpage register located on this website. Applications are no longer required to be published in the local newspaper.

We will take care of the publication of your public notice when you make your application to us. 

  • There is a small administration charge for our assistance in loading the content onto the licensing notification webpage. 
  • The fee will need to be paid in advance of publication.
  • The fee is current $86.50 and is set by Council and may be subject to review annually.
  • Your notice will be published within a week of your application being received and the public notice fee being paid.
  • We will send you a copy of the published notice for your records at the same time we send you the front entrance notice for display on your premises. You will need to display the notice on your main entrance for at least 15 working days.

Information and instructions for applicants about this transition to web public notification can be found in a special edition Tri-Agency newsletter.

Fees for other applications and matters

The table below provides information about fees for applications other than new licences, renewals of licences and variations of licences. These fees are set by Regulations. Note: Application fees are non refundable.

Application type Fee (inclusive of GST)
Managers certificate $316.25
Temporary authority $296.70
Temporary licence $296.70
Appeal to Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA) $517.50
Extract of register (ARLA or District Licensing Committee) $57.50
Permanent club charter (annual fee due on 30 June each year and paid to ARLA) $632.50

Certificate of Compliance (Alcohol) fees

The fee for Certificate of Compliance (Alcohol) application (required under section 100 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act)  is $166 from 1 July 2017 and this is set by Council and may be subject to review annually.

Special licences

Special licences can cover one-off or short duration events but can also cover larger events such as wine and food festivals. Fees for special licences have been set via a national three-tier framework:

Event Fee (inclusive of GST)
One or two events that are of a small* size $63.25
Three to 12 events that are of a small* size OR  
One to three events that are of a medium* size $207
All other special licences, including licences for events that are of a large* size $575
* Large event: >400 people expected
Medium event: 100-400 people expected
Small event: <100 people expected		  

The flexibility for the territorial authority to adjust a fee category will also apply to special licences. For example, a territorial authority could decide to charge a special licence applicant the fee for a small sized event, instead of the fee for a medium sized event, if it decided that was appropriate in the circumstances.