Ontario Special Occasion Permit: cost, deadlines and rules for weddings and parties

What a Special Occasion Permit costs

The AGCO charges the same daily fee for private, public and industry promotional events. A no-sale permit is $50 a day. A sale permit is $150 a day.

You need the sale permit whenever guests pay for alcohol, directly or indirectly. That includes a cash bar, drink tickets, an entry fee, or money collected for the bar before the event. At a private event, what you charge may only cover the cost of the alcohol.

A wedding with an open bar paid for by the couple is a no-sale event. A wedding with a cash bar is a sale event, even though it is private.

Step by step

1. 1

   Check whether you need a permit

   A licensed venue, or a caterer with a caterer's endorsement on its liquor sales licence, may already cover your event. Invited guests in your own home need no permit.

2. 2

   Choose sale or no sale

   If guests pay for alcohol in any way, including a cash bar, drink tickets, an admission fee or money collected before the event, you need a sale permit. At a private event, sales may only cover what the alcohol cost.

3. 3

   Apply on iAGCO in time

   Apply at least 10 days before an indoor private event and at least 30 days before a public or industry promotional event. The applicant must be 19 or older.

4. 4

   Give notice for outdoor events

   Tell the municipal clerk, police, fire and health departments in writing 30 days ahead for under 5,000 people, or 60 days for 5,000 or more. Tell the building department too if there is a tent.

5. 5

   Buy the alcohol and run the bar

   Buy from a government store or other permitted source and give the permit number at the till. The permit holder must be at the event throughout, and alcohol must be cleared within 45 minutes of the end of service.

How far ahead to apply

For an indoor private event, apply at least 10 days before. The AGCO says most private permits are issued within a day, but some take up to 10 days.

Public and industry promotional events need at least 30 days, and large public events can take up to a month to process.

Outdoor events need written notice to the municipal clerk, police, fire and health departments: 30 days ahead for under 5,000 people, 60 days for 5,000 or more. If you put up a tent, tell the building department as well.

When you don't need a permit

Invited guests drinking in your own home need no permit.

If the venue holds a liquor sales licence that covers the room and the hours, alcohol is served under that licence and no SOP is needed.

A caterer with a caterer's endorsement on its liquor sales licence can serve at an event someone else is hosting, for up to 10 days, but not in a private residence. The endorsement itself has no fee. Ask the caterer to confirm it in writing.

Rules on the day

Service runs from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., or 3 a.m. on New Year's Eve. All alcohol must be cleared within 45 minutes of the end of service.

The permit holder must be 19 or older and present for the whole event. Buy alcohol from a government store or another permitted source and quote the permit number when you pay.

The AGCO's permit guide recommends, but does not require, Smart Serve training for people serving under an SOP. Many venues require it anyway in their hire agreement. Check the conditions on your permit.

What venues should put in the hire agreement

If clients bring their own permit, a short alcohol clause protects the booking and the building.

• Whether the venue is licensed, and if so that only venue staff may serve alcohol.
• If the venue is unlicensed, who applies for the permit, the date you must see it by, and that the bar does not run without it.
• The server training the province expects, and that the client provides proof of it.
• The latest service time and the time all alcohol must be cleared from the room.
• Event liability insurance, naming the venue where your insurer requires it.

Ontario Special Occasion Permit: questions from Canada