Small bar licence

If you want to operate a bar that holds a maximum of 120 patrons without gaming machines or takeaway alcohol, a small bar licence may be the best fit for you.

Convert to a small bar licence

Under the Liquor Regulation 2018, you can convert an on-premises or a hotel general bar licence to a small bar licence free of charge until 28 February 2021.

Conversions cannot be reversed and existing licences will be cancelled when a small bar conversion is approved. On-premises licence holders wishing to convert to a small bar licence must obtain development consent that permits the premises to be operated as a small bar.

Download and complete: Small bar licence conversion application form (PDF 734.5 KB).

Applying tips:

Your application can take longer to review if we don’t have all the details we need to assess it. We will come back to you to obtain the missing information to progress your application. You can help us speed up the process by:

Providing all the correct information at the time you apply
Responding to our request for missing information as soon as possible after we contact you.

The information below will help you to prepare your application and gather all the supporting materials for your licence.

Apply online

allows alcohol to be sold for consumption on the licensed premises but does not allow takeaway sales
doesn't permit gaming machines, keno, or betting
enables you to provide entertainment - unless this will change the principal use of your venue in which case you may need development consent from your local council
allows standard trading hours between 12pm and 2am - depending on your development consent
is exempt from trading hours risk loading fees
allows your business to stay open outside liquor trading hours although you must not sell or supply alcohol during these times
is exempt from the liquor licence freeze, as small bars are generally well-managed, with lower rates of violence, and fewer compliance issues than other late trading venues
may be exempt from the requirement to submit a community impact statement (CIS) in certain circumstances – see the What you’ll need section below
doesn't permit people under 18 on the licensed premises during liquor trading hours, though they can be on the premises during times when alcohol is not being sold or supplied.

Some smaller licensed venues are not eligible for a small bar licence. Depending on your venue, you may require a:

hotel licence: to provide gaming machines, keno or betting, or offer takeaway sales.
general bar licence: to have more than 120 patrons on your licensed premises, subject to development consent.

Development consent and notification

Before you apply for a small bar licence, contact your local council to confirm if you need development consent.

If a development consent for a small bar is not already in place you may not need to complete a community impact statement under the Liquor Act.

If you need a new development consent, or to vary an existing development consent, in order to run a small bar in the premises, you should notify both NSW Police and the Secretary of the NSW Department of Customer Service within two working days of lodging your small bar development application with the council.

Provided you notify both the above stakeholders within the two day timeframe, you will not have to complete a Category B community impact statement.

In your notification, include:

the record of lodgement you received when you lodged your development application
the proposed licence name
the premises address
the date of the development application
the council or consent authority name.

If you fail to notify NSW Police and the Secretary of the NSW Department of Customer Service within two days of lodging your development application with the council, you must submit a Category B community impact statement with your small bar licence application.

If development consent for a small bar is already in place, a community impact statement under the Liquor Act is required

If consent is already in place for a small bar, or council confirm you are not required to vary your existing DA, you must submit a Category B community impact statement with your small bar licence application.

Community impact statements

A community impact statement (CIS):

provides evidence that you’ve advised your local community of your intention to operate a small bar
gives the community an opportunity to comment
allows us to gauge the level of support for your application.

This process takes at least 30 days and must be completed before you lodge your small bar application.

Notices

Application Notices:

Once your application is lodged, you will be provided with a Public Site Notice which you will need to affix to your premises until the application is granted. Council and Police will be automatically notified of your application.

A paper form version of the site notices can be downloaded below if you wish to complete them manually at your convenience prior to lodgement of your application.

APP200 Small bar liquor application site notice (PDF 579.9 KB)

What else you need before you apply

Submit the following items with your application:

a floor plan clearly showing the proposed boundaries for the licensed area
if applicable, a copy of your local council development approval or consent
details of the premises owner
contact details for you or a person authorised to submit your application
if applicable, a completed applicant declaration (TDEC5) (PDF 173.7 KB)
payment for a new application.

If you’re converting to a small bar from an on-premises or a hotel general bar, you may convert your licence for free until 28 February 2021.

If applying as an individual you'll also need:

evidence of your Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) qualifications, including your Licensee training and Advanced licensee training qualifications, if required
a current National Police Certificate issued within the last three months
the three identity documents you used when applying for the National Police Certificate.

If applying as an organisation you'll also need:

ABN, ACN or Y/INC
the names and birthdates of all directors and office holders (if it is a proprietary company)
a current Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) extract
a completed appointment of manager notice.

Licensees and all staff involved in the selling, service or supply of alcohol need to have completed a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) course and hold a valid NSW competency card. This requirement also applies to security staff and promotional staff conducting tastings on the premises.

The Liquor Regulation 2018 introduced an additional two compulsory courses for licensees and managers: Licensee training and Advanced licensee training.

It is best practice to keep copies of your and your staff’s qualifications in a register on the premises.

Small bar standard trading hours are 12pm (midday) to 2am, Monday to Sunday, with the exception of Good Friday and Christmas Day.

You can apply to extend your trading hours:

temporarily
permanently
to different times on different days of the week.

The table below outlines the standard trading hours and maximum extended trading hours for a small bar licence.

You can tailor your licence to meet your needs by applying for authorisations and exemptions - fees may apply.

Liquor Fee Schedule outlines any related costs

Flexible licensing options	Relevant form
Allows trading outside standard trading hours	Extended trading authorisation for small bars (PDF 969.3 KB)
Allows extended trading for a special occasion on a specified date	Extended trading authorisation - special occasion (PDF 801.4 KB)
Allows non-metropolitan venues to sell liquor up to 3am on up to 12 occasions annually	Multi-occasion extended trading authorisation (PDF 845.7 KB)

A small bar licence is subject to most regulatory controls that apply to other licences where alcohol is sold for consumption on the premises:

the bar must be open to the public
free drinking water must be available to patrons
food must be made available to patrons whenever alcohol is sold
a sign stating the name of the premises, the type of liquor licence held and the name of the licensee must be displayed at the front of the premises
an incident register must be maintained if the premises are authorised to trade past midnight.

The law requires that all types of licensed venues display liquor signs. This includes a number of compulsory signs, depending on which licence and authorisations you have.

Find out what signs you need
Buy signs from L&G online shop

Your application costs include:

an application fee
a non-refundable processing fee.

Use our Liquor Fee Schedule to calculate your fee.

Licence fees

Pro-rata annual liquor licence fee

A small bar licence is subject to a pro-rata annual liquor licence fee depending on the time of year your liquor licence is granted.

This fee covers the amount of time you use the liquor licence in its first year before the billing cycle starts on 15 March each year. Calculate your pro-rata fee.

Annual liquor licence fee

A small bar licence is subject to an annual liquor licence fee, due in May each year. Read more about annual liquor licence fees.

Apply online now

You must be 18 years or older and authorised to lodge this licence application.

Apply online

Create a OneGov account to apply online for a new licence or maintain your existing licence online.

online at onegov.nsw.gov.au - create an account, or log into your existing account.

Advantages to lodging your application online:

you receive a 10% discount
the online form is easier to complete
it speeds up processing time.

Next steps

Once your application is lodged, we will advertise it on the Liquor and Gaming Application Noticeboard for 30 days. The community can comment on your application, as well as people who were consulted as part of the CIS process, if applicable.

We're here to help.

Use our online feedback form to send us your questions, suggestions or feedback. You can also:

Call: 1300 024 720 | Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm

Email: contact.us@liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au

Access the Liquor Act 2007 and the Liquor Regulation 2018 at www.legislation.nsw.gov.au