• Your business must be primarily engaged in the preparation and serving of meals.
• Your business must have seating for at least 40 people simultaneously at tables for the service of meals each day it is open for business.
• Your business must have a kitchen that is in a separate area of the business and that is used solely for the preparation and serving of solid foods that make up meals.
• Your kitchen must have a working fixed grill, stove, or microwave oven.
• Your kitchen must have a functioning cold storage unit with a minimum of 21 cubic feet capacity.
• Your restaurant must have a menu or sign listing the meals offered at your place of business. A conceptual or prospective menu is not enough to meet this requirement. You must feature an official and current menu which states all of the available meals clearly.
• You must have adequate food on the premises of your business to serve 40 people a hot meal. (Prepackaged single portioned foods prepared off the premises will not count as adequate food). You must have (or plan to have by the time you open for business) hot meals available during normal mealtimes, which occur when your business plans to be open to the public.
• The bar area used for storing and dispensing liquor by the drink must be lighted (or plan to be lighted by the time you open for business) so that customers have a clear view of all activities taking place in the bar area.
• Your restaurant must have a Grade A Restaurant License issued by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Before the SCDOR will issue your Liquor by the Drink License, you must submit a copy of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture inspection form showing that the Grade A Restaurant License has been issued.
• You are required to maintain functioning, sanitary restrooms available for patrons of your business during all hours of operation.
• If you are selling liquor by the drink, you are required to collect and pay the 5% Liquor by the Drink Excise Tax. Upon completion of the permit registration process, you will receive an information packet that includes the Liquor by the Drink return and instructions on how to collect and pay Liquor by the Drink Excise Tax.

• Your business must have at least 18 rooms to rent to the public as accommodations for lodging.
• Your business must file Accommodations Tax returns and make Accommodations Tax payments.
• The bar area used for storing and dispensing liquor by the drink must be lighted (or plan to be lighted by the time you open for business) so that customers have a clear view of all activities taking place in the bar area.
• Sales and consumption are restricted to the interior of the building and do not extend to the parking area, even if food is served in these areas.

​​The fastest, easiest way to submit these forms and apply for a Business (Restaurant & Hotel) Liquor by the Drink License is by using our free online tax portal, MyDORWAY. After logging in, select the More​ tab, then click Apply for a New Alcohol Beverage License.​​

• Application for Retail Beer, Wine, and Liquor (ABL-90​1) – Select Business (Restaurant & Hotel) Liquor by the Drink License (PLB)
• Verification of Lawful Presence in the United States – Applicant and Principals (ABL-920)
• Applicant and Principal Consent and Waiver (ABL-946​​)
  • ​​If you’re applying on MyDORWAY, the ABL-920 and ABL-946 are part of the online application, and you do not need to submit or attach paper copies.
• ABL Lease Supplemental Information (ABL-977​)
  • If applying on MyDORWAY, scan and upload the ABL-977 as an attachment.​​

As part of the application process, you must notify the public of your application by running an advertisement in an approved newspaper.​ The SCDOR will notify SLED to post a sign at your business location.

SLED sign posting

• ​A SLED agent must post and remove a sign at the proposed place of business.
• This sign must remain posted for at least 15 days and may be removed only by the SLED agent.
  • If the sign disappears before the SLED agent removes it, contact the SCDOR or SLED immediately.

Newspaper legal advertisement 

• You are required to notify the public of ​your application by placing a legal advertisement in an SCDOR-approved newspaper for your area at least once a week for three consecutive weeks.
  • See the ​Approved Newspapers for ABL Legal Advertisements list (​ABL-32)​.
    • ​If you submit your legal advertisement in a non-approved newspaper, you will be required to re-run an advertisement in an approved newspaper.
• The legal advertisement must:
  • state the type of license applied for and the exact location of the proposed business
  • be posted in the legal notices section of the approved newspaper, or an equivalent section if the newspaper has no legal notices section
  • be in large type and cover a space of one column wide and at least two inches deep
• You must submit an Affidavit of Publication from the newspaper running the legal advertisement.
  • If the newspaper does not submit the Affidavit of Publication on ​your behalf, you can attach the affidavit as part of the application on MyDORWAY.
  • The affidavit must include a copy of the advertisement.
  • The SCDOR will not issue your license until we receive an affidavit from an approved newspaper.

• The existing business must have a biennial Business (Restaurant & Hotel) Liquor by the Drink License that has not expired, been suspended, or been revoked.
• You must apply for a new Retail License with the SCDOR. If you have not yet applied for a Retail License, get started here​.
• You must submit a new ABL-901​ application. Whether applying on MyDORWAY or with a paper form, you must check the box indicating that you are applying for a temporary 120-day license. Your application must include:
  • Your Retail License number
  • A copy of the previous business’s valid Business (Restaurant & Hotel) Liquor by the Drink License
  • A copy of the bill of sale, lease, probate document, divorce decree, eviction order, or document showing how the business was acquired.
• You will be required to place a legal advertisement in an approved newspaper for your area at least once a week for three consecutive weeks prior to receiving your Business (Restaurant & Hotel) Liquor by the Drink License. However, you only need to provide proof to the SCDOR that you have paid for this advertisement prior to receiving your temporary 120-day license. See Required signs and notices above for complete details.​​ ​

No, bar seating does not count toward this requirement.

No. Liquor by the Drink License holders may not have liquor in 1.75 liter bottles on the premises. However, Liquor by the Drink License holders may have liquor in any other size container.

No, a Liquor by the Drink License only authorizes you to sell Liquor by the Drink. You cannot sell it by the bottle, sealed, or unsealed. Customers may not remove liquor from the premises.

No, bottle service of liquor is illegal. This includes letting guests purchase a bottle of liquor that the server keeps behind the bar or places in a cage at the table.

Bottle service is commonly defined as selling a customer a full bottle of liquor and making cocktails from that bottle at their table.

Yes.

While no statute exists in Title 61 of the South Carolina Code of Laws addressing the permitting of a watercraft for the sale, possession, and on-premises consumption of alcoholic liquors, the SCDOR considers a watercraft as the licensed premises and a floating restaurant​. In order to license a watercraft as a restaurant the entity must be a business primarily engaged in the preparation and serving of meals. SC Constitution Article 8-A and SC Code Sections 61-6-20(2) and 61-6-1610(A)(1). The licensed premises does not extend beyond the watercraft itself. The dock, land or lot, or outbuildings are not​ included in the licensed premises for watercraft. S.C. Code of Regulations 7-202.1.

The following requirements must be met to qualify as a business primarily engaged in the preparation and serving of meals:​

• You must have seating for at least 40 people simultaneously at tables for the service of meals each day it is open for business. SC Code Section §61-6-20(2).
• You must have a kitchen that is in a separate area used solely for the preparation and serving of solid foods that make up meals. SC Code Sections 61-6-20(2)(a) and 61-6-1610(I)(1).
• Your kitchen must have a working fixed grill, stove or microwave oven. SC Code Section 61-6-1610(I)(1).
• You must have a functioning cold storage unit with a minimum of 21 cubic feet capacity. SC Code Section 61-6-1610(I)(1)
• You must have a menu or sign listing the meals offered at your place of business. SC Code Section §61-6-20(2)(b).
• You must have adequate supply of food and types of prepared foods on the premises of the business. SC Code Sections 61-6-1610(I)(2) and (3).
• You must have a Grade A Restaurant license issued by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. SC Code Section 61-6-1610(H).

​Additional requirements necessary to license a watercraft for the sale, possession, and on-premises consumption of alcoholic liquors:

• You must provide an address, boat slip number, and name of boat to be licensed as the premises. The entity seeking a license must have direct control of the watercraft where they will conduct business. SC Code of Regulations 7-202.1.
• You must have functioning restroom available for use by customers in order to meet requirements for suitability. SC Code Section 61-6-910(2).
• You must provide a designated route of travel in order to meet requirements for suitability. SC Code Section 61-6-910(2).​
• Your route of travel must not venture into waters of another state or jurisdiction. This is beyond the authority of the Department of Revenue.

• SC Code Section 61-6-120 – Outlines proximity to church, school, or playground requirements
• SC Code Section 61-6-130 – Restricts number of licensees per household
• SC Code Section 61-6-1610 – Outlines restaurants and places of lodging
• SC Code Section 61-6-1620 – Outlines possessions and consumption on premises open to the public
• SC Code Section 61-6-1636​ – Outlines purchase and sale of alcoholic liquors by the drink
• SC Code Section 61-6-4060​ – Prohibits liquor storage in unlicensed business
• SC Code Section 61-6-4710​ – Outlines lawful possession and consumption of liquor