Getting a liquor license is no easy task, and this is primarily because there are a limited number available in all counties or towns. It is also very costly to get one, and the process can be grueling. Once you get your hands on your liquor license, you should take great precautions to make sure you do not get it taken away, which is not hard to do. If you end up in a position where it has been taken from you, here are some tips to help you get it back.
Understand the Reason it Was Taken
While each state is different, most states will remove a business's liquor license if they break one of these common rules. Establishments cannot sell alcohol:
- To intoxicated people
- To minors (people under the age of 21)
- After or before certain hours of the day
- On Sundays for carryout (in certain states)
- Through staff that are underage or that do not have licenses to sell drinks
If your establishment is caught violating any of these rules, you could lose your liquor license. If this happens, your business could suffer drastically, especially if your main revenue source comes from the sale of alcoholic beverages.
Contact a Lawyer
After losing your liquor license, the best thing you could do is to hire a lawyer for help. Most business lawyers have experience with handling issues relating to liquor licenses, but always ask an attorney first to make sure you are hiring one that knows the issues related to this problem.
With the help of a lawyer, you might be able to fight this decision and get the license back, but this will take proving that you did not intentionally break the law.
An example of this would be if you had sold alcohol to a minor that used a fake ID in your bar. If you checked the ID, and if it looked real, you might be able to use this as your defense because you took all the precautions you could take to avoid selling alcohol to a minor.
Apply for a New One
There are times when liquor licenses are revoked for a temporary period of time, but there are other times when they are revoked indefinitely. If your license is only revoked for a temporary amount of time, you may have things you must do during this time. This may include paying fines for breaking the law, or it might involve serving time in jail. Whatever the case is, you should make sure you do what you are told to do because you will get the license back if you complete the steps that are required of you.
If the license is removed indefinitely, the only other option you will have is to apply for a new one. While this will not help you solve the problem immediately, it is often the only way to get a liquor license back after losing it. This process does take a lot of time and will cost you a lot of money, but getting a liquor license might be vital for your business.
In some cases, businesses will decide to close up if they lose their license because they have no other options, but your attorney will help you decide what is best for your business.
The best thing you can do once you get your liquor license is to keep it. You can keep it by fully understanding and following all the laws that relate to this subject. To learn more about liquor licenses or to get help for a problem you have with yours, hire a lawyer that is experienced with this subject.
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