A producer's licence allows you to sell beer, wine, mead, sake, cider or spirits that:
you have made
someone else has made under your direction.
You can sell retail or wholesale, under certain conditions.
Key features
Sell alcohol you make or pay someone else to make under your direction.
Sell your alcohol wholesale to other licensees anywhere, anytime.
Sell alcohol you've made, for customers to drink at your venue or take away.
Sell alcohol you have not made, for customers to drink at your venue.
Have a second retail location that sells packaged alcohol in the same wine region.
Sell and allow customers to drink alcohol in outdoor dining areas (with council permission, must be alcohol you've made).
Take orders by phone, email, online or app and do home delivery.
Sell your alcohol at promotional events (for example, farmers' markets, festivals) between 7 am and 8 pm. You must keep a record of events. Cannot sell at major events or horse racing events (consider a major event licence).
If you make alcohol in a still (for example, gin, vodka, whisky) you also need an excise manufacturer licence from the Australian Taxation Office – it allows you to produce alcohol. Contact the ATO if you have questions. A producer's liquor licence allows you to sell it. These are separate licences.
Trading hours
You can sell your products to other licensees (wholesale) at any time.
You can sell alcohol for customers to drink at your venue or takeaway:
7 am to 11 pm Monday to Saturday (except Good Friday and Anzac Day)
10 am to 11 pm Sunday, Good Friday and Anzac Day.
Apply at least 11 weeks before you need a licence. It may take longer if we need more information or if there are objections.
Who this licence suits
This licence suits:
wineries
breweries
distilleries
businesses with a cellar door
any other business that manufactures or produces alcohol.
Application fees
You need to pay a non-refundable application fee when you apply.
Only an authorised person can apply for the licence. This depends on who is applying.
If you are applying as:
an individual, you must apply for the licence yourself (on the form this is called a 'natural person')
a company, a current director or someone the board has officially authorised to sign documents must apply
an incorporated association, an executive committee member must apply
a partnership, a partner must apply (partnerships can only be made up of individuals).
Have these details and documents ready:
business name
trading hours
proof of required training – either a certificate of completion or booking confirmation
red line plan that shows where alcohol will be sold and consumed (not including footpath or kerbside areas). If you do not have a venue for customers to attend, the red line must be where alcohol is stored or distributed.
floor space – total area inside all your locations where alcohol will be sold and consumed (in square metres)
ASIC current and historical information extract (only if applying as a company). The extract must be dated within the past 90 days. To buy one, search organisations and business names in the ASIC register. Make sure you have the correct document. We cannot process your application without it.
credit card details – to pay the non-refundable application fee (Visa or Mastercard).
If you have a venue, the form will ask you to declare that you have the right to occupy it. You must have a property title, lease or other legal document that gives you the right.
You no longer need to upload a council planning permit with your application. Instead, upload the LCV new licence or permit planning document when the form asks for a planning permit. This is a temporary step until we update the form. You can upload a planning permit instead, if you have one.
They must explain how the licence could negatively affect the area’s amenity – for example, noise or disruption to their quiet enjoyment of living there.
Victoria Police and the local council may also object to the licence.
If we receive any valid objections, we’ll contact you to respond.
For example, if someone raises a concern about noise, you could explain how you plan to manage it.
We’ll take this into account when we assess your application.
When you get your decision
It can take about 9 to 11 weeks to get your decision.
It may take longer if someone objected to your licence or we needed to ask for more information.
We email to advise that we are granting your licence.
The email tells you how to sign up to our Liquor Portal.
It's important that you register. It's where you can:
