How to Apply for a TABC Permit: A Step-by-Step Guide for New Bar Owners in Texas

A new bar applies for its TABC permit in the Alcohol Industry Management System (AIMS), and the application is complete only when the pieces outside AIMS are in place: the right permit for what the bar will serve, a location that is wet for that permit, the business registered with the Texas Secretary of State and the Comptroller, city and county certifications, the required notices and signs, and any bond. TABC’s new licenses page outlines the process; the steps below apply it to a bar.

Step 1: Choose the permit

The permit depends on what the bar will pour:

• Spirits and cocktails: Mixed Beverage Permit (MB).
• Wine and beer only: Wine and Malt Beverage Retailer’s Permit (BG).
• Beer only: Retail Dealer’s On-Premise License (BE).
• Service between midnight and 2 a.m.: a Late Hours Certificate (LH) added to the primary permit, where the location allows late hours and the permit type is eligible.

A Food and Beverage Certificate (FB) requires a permanent food service facility for multiple entrees, so a bar without one cannot hold it; in some areas mixed beverages can be sold only by FB holders.

Step 2: Confirm the location works

Before signing a lease, three questions decide whether the address can hold the permit:

1. Is it wet for this permit? Local option elections set what can be sold where, and “only the city or county clerk’s office can officially declare a location to be wet or dry,” according to TABC’s local option elections page. If the location is dry for the permit the bar needs, TABC describes the Private Club Registration Permit (N) as authorizing service to club members “even in dry areas”; it is a membership model with its own requirements in Chapter 32 of the Code.
2. Do local distance rules apply? Under Section 109.33 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code, a city or county may prohibit sales within 300 feet of a church, school, or public hospital, and within 1,000 feet of a school at the school’s request. These rules apply only where the local government has adopted them, and the statute sets how the distance is measured.
3. Will the bar control the premises? Section 109.53 requires the permit holder to keep exclusive control over the alcohol on the licensed premises.

Step 3: Register the business

Register the business with the Texas Secretary of State when its entity type requires it, and complete the applicable Comptroller registration. TABC’s AIMS FAQ covers a business that is not required to register with the Secretary of State: it downloads TABC’s good-standing document marked “No Certification Required” and uploads it in AIMS in place of the state filing. For a retail permit, the Comptroller’s certificate matters directly: under Section 11.46(b), TABC must deny an original application for a retail permit unless it includes a Comptroller certificate showing the applicant holds, or has applied for and qualifies for, a sales tax permit where one is required. In AIMS, the Secretary of State’s Certificate of Formation or Certificate of Fact is uploaded; the Comptroller certification document is provided later in the process.

Step 4: Start the sign and the notices early

Several requirements run on their own clocks, and some have to begin before the application is filed:

• The 60-day sign. Where TABC’s sign rules require one, an on-premises location needs an outdoor sign under Section 11.391, posted at least 60 days before the permit is issued. TABC’s sign requirements page explains that the sign can go up before the application, and that the permit name should be written out in full.
• Newspaper notice. MB applicants publish notice in two consecutive issues of a qualifying local newspaper (Section 11.39), and the publisher’s affidavit goes into the application.
• Mailed notice to neighbors. Original on-premises applications send written notice to nearby residences and neighborhood associations, on a schedule set before filing (Section 11.393), unless the application includes an FB certificate.
• School notice. A location with a public entrance near a school sends written notice to school officials before filing (Section 109.33(c)).

The exact timing of each, and how they fit together, determines when the permit can issue.

Step 5: Get the city and county certifications

The city secretary, if the location is inside city limits, and the county clerk each certify that the location is wet for the permit sought (Section 11.37). TABC accepts either the AIMS Application Summary or the paper Required Certifications form (L-CERT) for this step. TABC’s guidance tells local officials to certify based on the latest local option elections for the jurisdiction, not on the type of permit the applicant is seeking.

Step 6: Arrange the bond

Under Section 11.11, MB and BG applicants file a $5,000 conduct surety bond, or $10,000 if the business is within 1,000 feet of a public school’s property line, unless the business holds an FB certificate or qualifies for the statute’s exemption. In Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant counties, TABC’s bonds page adds a performance bond for BG and BE applicants that do not hold an FB certificate. TABC’s commission voted on September 22, 2026, to propose amendments to its bond rules (Rules 33.41 and 33.42), for publication in the Texas Register on October 9, 2026; the bond requirements here are those in effect as of October 2, 2026.

Step 7: Complete and submit the application in AIMS

TABC’s requirement is that “all sections must be complete, signed and notarized.” The application asks for the business’s owners, officers, and stockholders, the lease and any management or concession agreements, the sources of the money invested, and personal history information for each officer and majority owner. Under Section 101.69, a knowingly false statement in an application or sworn document is punishable by 2 to 10 years of imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The state fee is paid with the application; TABC publishes the amounts in its fees chart.

Step 8: Answer TABC’s questions and wait for issuance

TABC reviews the application and sends requests for missing documents or clarification through AIMS. The business has to respond within TABC’s stated deadline; otherwise “TABC will remove your application and refund your application fee.” TABC then issues the permit, which the bar prints from AIMS and displays in a conspicuous place on the premises (Section 11.04).

After the permit issues

The permit’s term runs from the date it issues (Section 11.09), which sets the first renewal date. Two items belong on the opening checklist: seller-server training for staff, which is one of the conditions for Safe Harbor protection, and the operating signs TABC requires on licensed premises.

This article is general information about Texas alcoholic beverage law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes and TABC rules change; confirm current requirements with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the relevant city or county, or a licensed Texas attorney before acting.