Liquor licence renewal fee update
Last updated on March 25, 2026To support timely, consistent, and modernized licensing services, the LCRB is implementing a necessary update to liquor licence renewal fees. Find information about the 2026 liquor licence renewal fee update, including what’s changing, who's impacted, and when the new fees take effect.
On this page:
- What's changing
- Why fees are changing
- What your renewal fees will support
- Who's impacted
- How renewal fees are calculated
- When the updated fees apply
- New fee table (effective May 1, 2026)
What’s changing
Effective May 1, 2026, liquor licence renewal fees will increase. This change applies only to liquor licence renewal fees across all licence types. No other licensing fee categories are changing, and this update does not introduce annual indexing or automatic increases.
- Find your new fee in the detailed Fee Table below.
A $5 increase is also being applied to the Serving It Right and Special Event Server training programs. This update will sustain program delivery and allow for program enhancements.
Why liquor licence renewal fees are changing
The LCRB operates on a self-sustaining model, with renewal fees funding licensing, compliance, enforcement, policy development, and digital system modernization. As fees have not changed in over 15 years, this adjustment will help maintain timely, reliable, licensing services and support continued improvements to how we regulate and serve the industry.
What your renewal fees will support
In 2026/27, renewal fees will fund new service improvements that matter to licensees — including faster licensing processes, clearer timelines, and practical tools that make it easier to stay compliant and operate with confidence.
Streamlined licensing and stronger compliance through digital innovation
- A faster, more user-friendly online licensing portal, with built-in checks to catch incomplete or missing documents and application progress indicators
- Improved tools for local governments to review licence applications more quickly and efficiently
- Reduced application backlogs, helping applications move to review faster
Practical tools to help licensees stay compliant
- AI-enabled guidance in the licensing portal to help answer general regulatory questions and support understanding of due diligence in day-to-day operations
- A mobile-friendly digital Serving It Right credential, allowing secure on-phone proof during inspections instead of paper records
Clearer licensing timelines and greater transparency
- Weekly public updates on our website showing which application dates are currently being processed for key licence types, including:
- Food Primary
- Liquor Primary
- Manufacturing
- Cannabis Retail Store
- Producer Retail Store
- Cannabis Marketing
- Defined service standards that tell how quickly applications will be checked and assigned for review
- Applications requiring an occupant load stamp receive a completeness decision within 5 business days of receipt
- Complete Food Primary applications (with occupant load stamp) assigned to a case manager within 10 business days of receipt (compared to an average of 32 business days in 2025)
- Complete Liquor Primary, Manufacturer, and change applications assigned to an analyst within 20 business days of receipt (compared to an average of 60 business days in 2025)
- Temporary change applications with local government approval are processed within 5 business days of receipt — supporting planning certainty for special events, including FIFA World Cup 2026™
- Eliminated application backlog so applications move to review faster, and licensing timelines improve
Who’s impacted
This update applies to:
- All licensees who pay annual liquor licence renewal fees
- Individuals required to hold Serving It Right (SIR) and Special Event Server (SES) certification
How renewal fees are calculated
Renewal fees vary based on how much liquor a business purchases or produces each year.
Fee impacts for hospitality (purchased-based) licensees by tier:
- Nearly half of all licensees are in the lowest fee tier, where the increase is approximately $75 annually
- Middle-tier licensees will see an annual increase of approximately $420
- Highest-tier licensees will see an annual increase of approximately $660
Manufacturer licence renewal fees are based on production volume, meaning increases vary depending on production size, with larger producers seeing higher increases under the updated fee structure.
When the updated fees apply
- The new fees apply to liquor licences expiring on or after May 1, 2026
- The updated fees for the Serving it Right and Special Event Server programs are effective May 1, 2026
- Renewal requirements and timelines remain unchanged
- Licensees will see the updated renewal fee amount when when they log in to the liquor and cannabis licensing portal to renew their licence and proceed to the payment step after receiving a renewal reminder
New fee table (effective May 1, 2026)
|
|
Fee Name |
Current Fee |
New Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
|
19 |
Liquor primary, food primary, catering, licensee retail store, wine store, special wine store or rural licensee retail store: if the amount of liquor purchases or sales calculated under section 204 of this regulation is |
|
|
|
|
(a) $12,500 or less |
$250 |
$325 |
|
|
(b) over $12,500 and up to $20,000 |
$500 |
$650 |
|
|
(c) $20,000 and up to $45,000 |
$825 |
$1,073 |
|
|
(d) over $45,000 and up to $100,000 |
$1,100 |
$1,430 |
|
|
(e) over $100,000 and up to $500,000 |
$1,400 |
$1,820 |
|
|
(f) over $500,000 and up to $1,000,000 |
$1,700 |
$2,210 |
|
|
(g) over $1,000,000 and up to $2,000,000 |
$2,000 |
$2,600 |
|
|
(h) over $2,000,000 |
$2,200 |
$2,860 |
|
20 |
Off-premises sales endorsement |
$100 |
$130 |
|
21 |
Catering endorsement |
$100 |
$130 |
|
22 |
Distillery with no endorsement |
$1,100 |
$1,430 |
|
23 |
Distillery with manufacturer on-site endorsement, special event area endorsement, or lounge endorsement |
Fee in line item 22 plus: |
Fee in line item 22 plus: |
|
24 |
Brewery with no endorsement |
$0.12 a hectolitre multiplied by the total number of hectolitres of malt liquor shipped by a Brewer in British Columbia, from any brewery owned, occupied or used by that brewer in the previous year ending on December 31 with a minimum fee of $1100 |
Minimum fee of $1,430 for production volume up to 9167 hectolitres, $0.13 per hectolitre for production volume between 9168 and 50000 hectolitres, $0.16 per hectolitre for production volume over 50000 hectolitres |
|
25 |
Brewery with manufacturer on-site endorsement, special event area endorsement, or lounge endorsement |
Fee in line item 24 plus: |
Fee in line item 24 plus: |
|
26 |
Winery, if producing more than 135 000 litres of wine a year with no endorsement |
$1,100 |
$1,430 |
|
27 |
|
Fee in line item 26 plus: |
Fee in line item 26 plus: |
|
28 |
Winery, if producing 135 000 litres of wine or less a year, with no endorsement |
$550 |
$715 |
|
29 |
Winery, if producing 135 000 litres of wine or less a year, with manufacturer on-site endorsement, special event area endorsement, or lounge endorsement |
Fee in line item 28 plus: |
Fee in line item 28 plus: |
|
30 |
U-Brew and U-Vin |
$750 |
$975 |
|
31 |
Agent's |
$200 |
$260 |
|
60 |
Training Program |
|
|
|
|
(a) SIR program (online) per person per year |
$35 |
$40 |
|
|
(b) SIR program (print) per person per year |
$40 |
$45 |
|
|
(c) SES program per person per year |
$20 |
$25 |
Contact information
If you have questions about the information on this page, please contact
LCRBLiquorPolicy@gov.bc.ca