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Special Occasion Licenses

Portal status information is found here. 

More information and user guides are available on the Portal Resources page.

 

A special occasion license allows a bona fide nonprofit organization to sell liquor at a specific time, date and place. Examples of events include fundraising dinners, gala events, auctions, and wine tastings. 

Note: It is against the law to allow a third party (i.e.: promoter) to run an event on your behalf in exchange for a percentage of the profits. Allowing a third party to collect part of the proceeds or take a cut of the proceeds could prevent your nonprofit from getting future Special Occasion Licenses.    

Special Occasion Licenses

  • Cost: $60 per day, per location 
  • Apply and pay for this license on LCB’s Portal. 
  • Allows sales of spirits, beer and wine by individual serving for on-premises consumption. 
  • The local authority (e.g. mayor or county executive) will be notified of your application and have the opportunity to weigh in on the application. 
  • Organizations are limited to 12 single-day events per calendar year. 
  • Special occasion licensees may not advertise or sell alcohol below cost. 
  • You may buy spirits from a domestic (in-state) Spirits Distributor, Spirits Retailer licensee, Craft Distillery, or Distillery. You may also buy spirits from a U.S. distillery holding a Spirits Out-of-State Certificate of Approval (COA) in Washington to ship spirits directly to licensed retailers. Beer or wine may be bought wholesale or retail. 

Portal Note: 

While applying for a special occasion license, you will not be able to return to an in-progress application if you:

  • Get an error message
  • Switch to a different tab while completing your application
  • Use your browser's back button, or
  • Leave the application before completing it. Your work won’t be saved, and you will need to start over. 

If you pay for your application and then see a loading screen or a spinning wheel, it may not mean your application failed. If this happens, please call Customer Service at 360-664-1600 to find out if your payment went through before starting over. 

 

Resources