Retail establishment liquor permit

A retail establishment liquor permit is for any business that offers complimentary beer, wine or liquor for consumption on the premises.

It is not a license to sell alcohol, but a permit to serve it on a complimentary basis. A retail establishment permit holder cannot hold any other liquor license except for extra retail establishment permits for other businesses or locations.

A permit holder cannot, directly or indirectly, sell alcohol, serve alcohol for more than four hours in a 24-hour period, serve alcohol more than 24 days per year, or serve or distribute alcohol between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. A permit holder cannot allow anyone younger than 18 years old to sell or dispense alcohol or allow anyone 18 to 20 years old to sell or dispense alcohol unless supervised by another person on the premises that is 21 years old or older.

A permit holder can serve no more than:

• 12 ounces of malt liquor in any one drink
• 5 ounces of vinous liquor in any one drink (5 ounces of vinous liquor can be mixed with non-alcoholic beverages for larger drinks by volume but not alcohol content)
• 1½ ounces of spirituous liquor in any one drink (1.5 ounces of spirituous liquor can be mixed with non-alcoholic beverages for larger drinks by volume but not alcohol content)
• 12 ounces of pre-mixed alcohol beverage in any one drink

To be eligible for the retail establishment liquor permit, a business must:

• Primarily sell goods or services to the public
• Operate out of a physical building in Colorado
• Derive less than 50% of gross sales from food sales
• Have no more than 25 employees
• Have no more than $5 million in retail sales per year
• Not sell firearms, motor vehicles, marijuana, gasoline or diesel fuel
• Not educate K-12 students or provide child care; and
• Not be a convenience store