Special event liquor licences in Ontario, BC and Alberta: a guide for venues

When a permit is needed, and when it is not

A permit is needed when alcohol is served or sold at an event in a place that is not covered by an existing liquor licence. Typical examples are weddings in barns, community halls or tents, corporate parties in office space, and fundraising galas in unlicensed venues.

Not every event needs one. The AGCO points out that your event venue may already hold a liquor sales licence that covers your event, and that a caterer with a catering endorsement may make a separate permit unnecessary. Licensed banquet halls usually run the bar under their own licence, which is simpler for the client and keeps control of service with staff the venue has trained.

If you own an unlicensed hall, decide early whether you will let clients apply for permits or whether you will only allow licensed caterers to run bars. Put the answer in your hire agreement, because a wedding that discovers the problem two weeks out is a cancellation risk.

Step by step

1. 1

   Check whether the venue's licence already covers the event

   If the venue holds a liquor licence that covers the room and hours, guests may be able to buy alcohol under that licence. In Ontario, a caterer with a catering endorsement on its liquor sales licence may also remove the need for a permit.

2. 2

   Decide private or public, sale or no sale

   Private events are invitation only, such as weddings and family parties. Public events are open to the public or advertised. Selling alcohol, including through tickets or entry fees, puts you in the sale category in Ontario.

3. 3

   Apply through the provincial regulator early

   Ontario applications go through iAGCO, BC applications through the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch portal, and Alberta applications through AGLC. Apply well before the deadline, especially for public or outdoor events.

4. 4

   Train the people pouring

   Alberta requires ProServe training for the licensee's representative and at least 25% of bartenders and servers at public events, and for everyone selling or serving at commercial events. BC requires server training for permit holders and servers.

5. 5

   Run the bar to the permit's terms

   Keep the permit on site, stick to the approved hours, keep minors away from service and keep records of where the alcohol was bought.

Ontario, BC and Alberta compared

The three provinces follow the same idea but differ in names, fees and deadlines. Fees below are per day and come from each regulator's published guidance.

Ontario: Special Occasion Permits

The AGCO issues SOPs for private events, such as weddings and birthdays where you do not advertise or profit from alcohol, and for public events, including general public and charity events, industry promotional events, bring your own events tied to sporting or cultural occasions, and auctions.

Fees are $50 per day for a no sale permit and $150 per day for a sale permit. A sale permit covers charging for alcohol directly, as at a cash bar, or indirectly through entry fees or drink tickets, and the money collected may only cover the cost of the alcohol. With a no sale permit you cannot charge for liquor or collect admission.

For indoor private events, submit at least 10 days before the event; the AGCO says most private event permits are issued within a day, but up to 10 days is possible. All other indoor events, including public, bring your own and industry promotional events, need the application at least 30 days ahead. Alcohol may be served between 9 a.m. and 2 a.m., or until 3 a.m. on New Year's Eve.

Outdoor events carry extra notice duties. You must notify the municipal clerk, police, fire and health departments in writing 30 days before the event if you expect fewer than 5,000 people, or 60 days before if you expect 5,000 or more. If you use a tent, marquee, pavilion or tiered seating, the local building department should be told in writing too.

British Columbia: Special Event Permits

In BC, anyone planning to sell or serve liquor at a location that is not a private residence, private place or licensed establishment must apply for a Special Event Permit online. The fee is charged per day and per location, with a lower fee for private events, including family events, than for public ones. Check the current amounts on the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch's Special Event Permit page before you quote a client.

Applications go through the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch's licensing portal, which needs a BCeID or BC Services Card login. Permit holders, event managers and servers need Special Event Server training, or a valid Serving It Right certificate instead. Larger public events need more approvals, so apply well ahead.

Alberta: Special Event Licences

AGLC issues Special Event Licences for private and public events. A private licence where liquor is sold to guests is a resale licence, and public licences are priced in tiers based on how much liquor you buy for the event. AGLC publishes the current amounts in its fee schedule, so check it when you plan the bar budget.

AGLC's public licence policy sets clear operating rules. All liquor must be bought from a Class D licensed premises, and you must keep records of every purchase. Service runs between 9 a.m. and 2 a.m. unless AGLC approves otherwise, drinks must be finished within one hour of the end of sales, and all liquor must be cleared from guest areas by 3 a.m. Non-alcoholic drinks must be available, and attendance cannot exceed the posted occupant load or the number AGLC approves, whichever is lower.

ProServe training is required before the event for the licensee's representative and at least 25% of bartenders and servers at a public event. At a commercial public event, everyone involved in selling or serving liquor, including ticket sellers, needs ProServe, and security staff need ProTect training.

What to put in your hire agreement

Venue owners carry the reputational risk even when the client holds the permit. A clear clause on alcohol protects the booking and the building.

• Whether the venue is licensed, and if so that only venue staff may serve alcohol.
• If unlicensed, who must obtain the permit, the deadline for showing it to you, and that the event is cancelled at the client's cost without it.
• That bartenders must hold the training the province requires, such as ProServe or Serving It Right.
• The latest service time and the time all alcohol must be cleared.
• Liability insurance for the event, naming the venue where your insurer requires it.

Planning permits across a busy season

Permit deadlines are easy to miss because they sit weeks before the event, long after the booking is confirmed. Note the permit type and its deadline on the booking as soon as the client says there will be a bar.

Venura's venue and catering apps (web, Android and iOS) keep each booking with its enquiry notes, quotation, invoice and event schedule in one record, so the bar arrangements and the date the permit is due sit with the event. Venura does not apply for liquor permits; the client, caterer or venue applies directly to the provincial regulator.

Special event liquor licence: questions from Canada