Who needs a first class license (beer and wine on premises) and third class license (spirits) in Vermont?

Issued by Your town’s local control commissioners (the selectboard or city council), with the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery, at step 5 of 6 in the opening sequence: alcohol permits.

6 of the 20 kinds of business in Vermont

A first class license lets a restaurant or bar serve beer, wine and cider by the glass; spirits need the third class license on top of it. Apply through the Department’s online portal; the first class application goes to the town, whose local control commissioners take it up at a warned meeting, and the state fee is paid once the town approves. Since November 2017 the fee is an application fee and is not refunded if the license is denied.

Checked Oct 21, 2026 against the agency’s page.

Step 5 of 6: Alcohol permits

  1. Set up the business
  2. Register for tax
  3. Approve the space
  4. Get the permits for your kind of business
  5. Alcohol permits
  6. Before the first hire

Issued by Your town’s local control commissioners (the selectboard or city council), with the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery.

Sources and dates

7 V.S.A. 204 (application and renewal fees); Department of Liquor and Lottery restaurant and bar fee page and licensing pages. Checked against the agency’s page on the date shown; cities add their own fees.

Questions about opening here.