Local Government and Liquor Licensing
Local governments and First Nations do not make liquor licensing decisions. The Liquor Control and Licensing Branch alone is responsible for deciding who will receive a licence. However, local government and First Nations do play a significant role.
The Liquor Control and Licensing Branch is required to consider specific community needs in deciding whether to issue or change a liquor licence. This includes, for some licence applications, asking local governments and/or First Nations to provide a resolution that considers, among other things:
- proposed location
- the person capacity of the proposed establishment (how many people the applicant plans to accommodate)
- the operating hours requested
- the views of local residents
- how close the proposed establishment is to other social or recreational facilities and public buildings
- the number of other licensed establishments in the area
- potential traffic, noise and parking problems
- municipal zoning
- population density and trends, and
- impact on the community if the application is approved.
Local governments may choose to opt out of this role, in which case the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch will complete the same review process.
Please note:
All liquor licence applicants must talk to their local government about business licence requirements and such issues as zoning and building bylaws, health and fire regulations.
More detailed information is available in the following publication (including templates for local government and First Nation resolutions):
