Applying for liquor license in Raleigh (Durham, Tryon: sales, construction, inspection)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Are you still under construction, or do you already have a Certificate of Occupancy? If you're still building, you can go ahead and fill out an application and then take it to Raleigh PD to get their local government opinion form signed (you may need to look up exactly who to bring it to, there is a sergeant at DPD assigned to fill these out in Durham). They get the zoning forms, etc, filled out, and that process takes 2 weeks. The applicant also needs to get fingerprinted at the courthouse before turning in the local gov't opinion form.
After the local gov't opinion form is done, you just take it to the ABC Commission on Tryon Rd and you get a temporary permit the same day. Don't forget to bring some sort of "menu", it just needs to be a list of dishes to show that you're a full restaurant and not a private club. If you're still under construction when the local opinion form is completed, you can hold on to it and go to the ABC Commission the same day you get your CO.
You get a paper permit good for 90 days, and within the first week ALE will show up to do a courtesy check of the premises. Note that it will take a few days to get your first beer and wine deliveries (call to get a sales rep to visit, figure out what you want, then order. Sales rep won't show up until you have a permit). It will take about 2 business days for the ABC Board to update their database so you can get mixed beverages.
Some time in the first 90 days, you'll get your actual inspection. If you want a full bar, it will be pretty intense. They'll randomly audit bottles, ask for the receipt so they can verify the tax paid, go through the trash, etc. If you're just beer and wine, you won't even know that they've done the inspection because they'll just count seats and make sure everything looks like it's on the up-and-up.