Special Event Liquor Permit Fees in Every State
Quick answer
Of the 50 states we have verified, 30 have a fee we can compare directly: the state fee for one one-day event under the main permit. The middle figure is $40; the lowest is West Virginia at No fee for applicants that meet the licensing requirements and the highest Tennessee at $100 per day, plus a $300 application fee. Read the unit: where the fee is charged per day, a three-day festival costs three times as much.
At a glance
- States verified
- 50
- Comparable one-day fee
- 30
- Median, one-day event
- $40
- Lowest
- West Virginia No fee for applicants that meet the licensing requirements
- Highest
- Tennessee $100 per day, plus a $300 application fee
All states
Fees, side by side.
| State | Main permit | Fee | Lead time | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Special Events Retail License | $150 license fee | — | Oct 2026 |
| Alaska | Nonprofit Organization Event Permit (NOEP) | $100 for the first two days and $50 for each additional day | 3 business days | Oct 2026 |
| Arizona | Series 15 Special Event License | $25 per day | 10 days | Jul 2026 |
| Arkansas | Temporary Spirits Permit | $50 per permit | 21 days | Sep 2026 |
| California | Daily License — Beer and Wine | $50 per day | 10 days | Oct 2026 |
| Colorado | Special Event Permit | State fee: $10 per day for a malt beverage permit, $25 per day for a malt, vinous and spirituous liquor permit; plus a local investigation/issuance fee of up to $100 | — | Oct 2026 |
| Connecticut | Temporary liquor permit for a noncommercial entity | $50 per day | — | Sep 2026 |
| Delaware | Daily Nonprofit Gathering License | $5 for up to two days, $2 each additional day, plus $5 for Sundays and holidays | — | Oct 2026 |
| Florida | Temporary Permit (ODP) | $25 per permit | — | Oct 2026 |
| Georgia | Special Event Non-Profit permit | $25 per permit for the first 6 permits in a calendar year; after that, for-profit fees apply | 10 days | Apr 2026 |
| Hawaii | Class 10 special license (fundraising events) | The commission must waive fees for class 10 fundraising licenses | — | Feb 2026 |
| Idaho | Non-profit permit (beer and/or wine) | $20 for beer, $20 for wine | 14 days | Aug 2026 |
| Illinois | Special Event Retailer's Liquor License (Not-for-Profit) | $25 per application (one theme, one location, up to 15 days); add a $25 late fee if not received 14 days before the event | 14 days | Oct 2026 |
| Indiana | Temporary Beer & Wine Permit (type 118) | $50 | 5 business days | Oct 2026 |
| Iowa | Class "C" Retail Alcohol License (LC), 5-day or 14-day | 5-day: $89.38–$203.13; 14-day: $178.75–$406.25, depending on city population | — | Oct 2026 |
| Kansas | Temporary Permit (on-premise) | $25 per day, plus an electronic-payment service charge | 14 days | Aug 2026 |
| Kentucky | Special Temporary License | — | 5 business days | Apr 2026 |
| Louisiana | ATC Special Event Permit | Type B (non-profit) $10; Type C (all others) $100 | 10 days | Apr 2026 |
| Maine | Incorporated civic organization license | — | — | Oct 2026 |
| Maryland | Class C per diem license (one-day license issued by the county liquor board) | State default: $5/day beer or beer & wine, $15/day beer, wine & liquor. Most large counties set their own fees by statute (see county rows). | — | Oct 2026 |
| Massachusetts | One-Day Special License (Section 14) | Fixed by each local licensing authority; not uniform | — | May 2026 |
| Michigan | Special License (one-day license) | $25 per day for organizations established one year or more; $50 per day if established less than one year. Sunday sales permits extra. | 10 business days | Oct 2026 |
| Minnesota | Temporary On-Sale Liquor License (1 to 4 days) | Set by the issuing city or county | 30 days | Apr 2026 |
| Mississippi | Class 1 Temporary Permit (nonprofit charity or civic organization) | $35 | — | Oct 2026 |
| Missouri | Picnic License (temporary retail liquor by the drink) | $25 (up to 7 days) | — | Oct 2026 |
| Montana | beer and table wine | $10 per day | — | Jun 2026 |
| Nebraska | Special Designated License (SDL) - Non-profit | $40 per date (statute: $40 first day, $10 each additional day at the same location for nonprofits) | — | Jul 2026 |
| Nevada | No state event permit - county or city liquor license/permit | — | — | Dec 2025 |
| New Hampshire | One Day License for Voluntary Nonprofit Organizations | $100 | 15 days | Jan 2026 |
| New Jersey | Social Affair Permit | $100 per day for civic, religious or educational organizations; $150 per day for other non-profits | 14 days | Oct 2026 |
| New Mexico | Special Dispenser Permit | $25 per day private event; $50 per day public event | 10 days | May 2026 |
| New York | One-Day Alcohol Event Permit (Temporary Alcohol Permit) | $36 per point of sale, per day | 15 business days | Sep 2026 |
| North Carolina | Special One-Time Permit (nonprofit or political fundraiser) | $50 per permit | 14 days | Oct 2026 |
| North Dakota | Local event permit (city or county) | Local fee set by ordinance, not more than $25 | — | Oct 2026 |
| Ohio | F-2 permit | $150 ($160 if filed jointly with a D permit holder) | 30 days | Oct 2026 |
| Oklahoma | Special Event License - Annual (SPE) | $55 | 10 days | Oct 2026 |
| Oregon | Special Event License (Temporary Sales License) | — | — | Oct 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | Special Occasion Permit | $30 per day for each event | 30 days (first-time applicants) | Oct 2026 |
| Rhode Island | Class F license (19-hour special event license, beer and wine) | $15 per license | — | Jun 2026 |
| South Carolina | Beer & Wine Special Event Permit (TBP) | $10 per calendar day of the event | 3 days | Oct 2026 |
| South Dakota | Special event alcoholic beverage license (special malt beverage, wine or on-sale license, issued locally) | Fee is set by the city governing body or board of county commissioners and must accompany the application. | — | Oct 2026 |
| Tennessee | Special Occasion License | $100 per day, plus a $300 application fee | — | Jan 2026 |
| Texas | Nonprofit Entity Temporary Event Permit (NT) | $50 per day of the event; late filing fees of $300-$900 if filed less than 10 business days ahead | 10 business days | Aug 2026 |
| Utah | Single Event Permit | $125 | 30 days | Mar 2026 |
| Vermont | Special event permit (licensed manufacturers/rectifiers) | — | 5 days | Dec 2025 |
| Virginia | Banquet Special Event license | $40 | — | Sep 2026 |
| Washington | Special Occasion License | $90 per day, per location | 45 days | Oct 2026 |
| West Virginia | Special one-day license, Class S1 (beer, charitable events) | No fee for applicants that meet the licensing requirements | 15 days | Nov 2025 |
| Wisconsin | Temporary Class "B" (beer) license / temporary "Class B" (wine) license (picnic license, issued locally) | Set by the municipality, up to $10 per license. No fee for the temporary wine license if a temporary beer license is applied for at the same time for the same event. | — | May 2026 |
| Wyoming | 24-hour malt beverage permit (issued locally) | $10 to $50 per 24-hour period, payable to the local licensing authority | — | Sep 2026 |
Reading the table
What the fee does and does not cover.
Per day, per event or per permit. Read the unit: a "$25 per day" permit for a weekend festival is $75, while a flat fee covers the whole event.
The state fee is rarely the whole cost. Many states require local sign-off from a city, county or police department, and some localities charge their own fee. Insurance, server training and the alcohol itself come on top.
The permit is for selling. Most of these permits exist so a nonprofit or event organizer can sell drinks. A private party where nobody pays for alcohol, at a home or a licensed venue, may fall outside them. Check what your state's agency says on its page.
FAQ
Questions people ask.
How much does a one-day liquor permit cost?
Among the states we verified, the middle fee is $40, with a range from No fee for applicants that meet the licensing requirements to $100 per day, plus a $300 application fee.
Do I need a permit for a private wedding?
It depends on the state. Many event permits cover selling alcohol; whether a free private bar needs one is set by each state. See your state page for what the agency says, and ask your venue or caterer.
Keep planning
Related.
Sources
- Alabama — Special Events Retail License · State agency (alabcboard.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Alaska — Nonprofit Organization Event Permit (NOEP) · State agency (akleg.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Arizona — Series 15 Special Event License · State agency (liquor.az.gov), checked Jul 17, 2026
- Arkansas — Temporary Spirits Permit · State agency (dfa.arkansas.gov), checked Sep 2, 2026
- California — Daily License — Beer and Wine · State agency (abc.ca.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Colorado — Special Event Permit · State agency (sbg.colorado.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Connecticut — Temporary liquor permit for a noncommercial entity · State agency (cga.ct.gov), checked Sep 29, 2026
- Delaware — Daily Nonprofit Gathering License · State agency (oabcc.delaware.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Florida — Temporary Permit (ODP) · State statute (flsenate.gov), checked Oct 3, 2026
- Georgia — Special Event Non-Profit permit · State agency (dor.georgia.gov), checked Apr 23, 2026
- Hawaii — Class 10 special license (fundraising events) · State agency (capitol.hawaii.gov), checked Feb 7, 2026
- Idaho — Non-profit permit (beer and/or wine) · State agency (isp.idaho.gov), checked Aug 14, 2026
- Illinois — Special Event Retailer's Liquor License (Not-for-Profit) · State agency (ilcc.illinois.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Indiana — Temporary Beer & Wine Permit (type 118) · State agency (in.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Iowa — Class "C" Retail Alcohol License (LC), 5-day or 14-day · State agency (revenue.iowa.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Kansas — Temporary Permit (on-premise) · State agency (ksrevenue.gov), checked Aug 9, 2026
- Kentucky — Special Temporary License · State statute (apps.legislature.ky.gov), checked Apr 13, 2026
- Louisiana — ATC Special Event Permit · State agency (atc.louisiana.gov), checked Apr 18, 2026
- Maine — Incorporated civic organization license · State statute (legislature.maine.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Maryland — Class C per diem license (one-day license issued by the county liquor board) · State agency (mgaleg.maryland.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Massachusetts — One-Day Special License (Section 14) · State agency (mass.gov), checked May 17, 2026
- Michigan — Special License (one-day license) · State agency (michigan.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Minnesota — Temporary On-Sale Liquor License (1 to 4 days) · State statute (revisor.mn.gov), checked Apr 5, 2026
- Mississippi — Class 1 Temporary Permit (nonprofit charity or civic organization) · State agency (dor.ms.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Missouri — Picnic License (temporary retail liquor by the drink) · State agency (atc.dps.mo.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Montana — Special permit — beer and table wine · State agency (revenue.mt.gov), checked Jun 7, 2026
- Nebraska — Special Designated License (SDL) - Non-profit · State agency (lcc.nebraska.gov), checked Jul 18, 2026
- Nevada — No state event permit - county or city liquor license/permit · State statute (leg.state.nv.us), checked Dec 9, 2025
- New Hampshire — One Day License for Voluntary Nonprofit Organizations · State agency (gc.nh.gov), checked Jan 20, 2026
- New Jersey — Social Affair Permit · State agency (nj.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- New Mexico — Special Dispenser Permit · State agency (rld.nm.gov), checked May 26, 2026
- New York — One-Day Alcohol Event Permit (Temporary Alcohol Permit) · State agency (sla.ny.gov), checked Sep 20, 2026
- North Carolina — Special One-Time Permit (nonprofit or political fundraiser) · State agency (abc.nc.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- North Dakota — Local event permit (city or county) · State statute (ndlegis.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Ohio — F-2 permit · State agency (com.ohio.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Oklahoma — Special Event License - Annual (SPE) · State agency (oklahoma.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Oregon — Special Event License (Temporary Sales License) · State agency (oregon.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Pennsylvania — Special Occasion Permit · State agency (pa.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Rhode Island — Class F license (19-hour special event license, beer and wine) · State statute (webserver.rilegislature.gov), checked Jun 9, 2026
- South Carolina — Beer & Wine Special Event Permit (TBP) · State agency (dor.sc.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- South Dakota — Special event alcoholic beverage license (special malt beverage, wine or on-sale license, issued locally) · State agency (dor.sd.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- Tennessee — Special Occasion License · State agency (tn.gov), checked Jan 30, 2026
- Texas — Nonprofit Entity Temporary Event Permit (NT) · State agency (tabc.texas.gov), checked Aug 9, 2026
- Utah — Single Event Permit · State agency (abs.utah.gov), checked Mar 7, 2026
- Vermont — Special event permit (licensed manufacturers/rectifiers) · State statute (legislature.vermont.gov), checked Dec 6, 2025
- Virginia — Banquet Special Event license · State agency (abc.virginia.gov), checked Sep 13, 2026
- Washington — Special Occasion License · State agency (lcb.wa.gov), checked Oct 8, 2026
- West Virginia — Special one-day license, Class S1 (beer, charitable events) · State statute (code.wvlegislature.gov), checked Nov 14, 2025
- Wisconsin — Temporary Class "B" (beer) license / temporary "Class B" (wine) license (picnic license, issued locally) · State agency (revenue.wi.gov), checked May 18, 2026
- Wyoming — 24-hour malt beverage permit (issued locally) · State statute (wyoleg.gov), checked Sep 16, 2026
General information, not legal advice.