On, Off and Club Licences

The type of licence you need depends on the type of activity or business you will be undertaking.

View our Frequently Asked Questions on alcohol licensing.

On Licence
An on-licence authorises the holder to sell or supply liquor for consumption on their premises, but liquor cannot be removed from the site.

e.g. Tavern, hotel, restaurant, cafe, BYO restaurant, caterer (alcohol is consumed on the premises)

Off Licence
An off-licence authorises the holder to sell or deliver liquor on or from their premise, as described in the licence, to any person for consumption off the premise.

e.g. Bottle store, grocery store, supermarket, auctioneer, mail order business (alcohol is consumed away from the place of purchase)

Club Licence
A club licence authorises the holder to sell or supply liquor for consumption on their premises to any member of the club; or any person who is a guest of, and is accompanied by, a member of the club; or any member of any other club with which the holder of the licence has an arrangement for reciprocal visiting rights for members of the club. However, liquor cannot be removed from the site.

e.g: Sport, social, cultural

Temporary Authority
Buying an existing business that sells alcohol? A temporary authority authorises the new holder to operate the existing licence for a period of up to three months.

This is to allow the application for a substantive licence to be received and considered.

Note: In the event that the substantive licence is refused, the temporary authority will only be granted if there are delays outside the control of the applicant.

A second temporary authority will only be granted if there are delays outside the control of the applicant.

The type of licence you need depends on the type of activity or business you will be undertaking.

Public Notices
Council is now offering businesses applying for a licence (new and renewal) the option to publish public notices on our website. This initiative aims to provide a more streamlined process for applicants and greater transparency and accessibility to our community regarding alcohol licences within our district. The fee for publishing Public Notices through Council is $185.

Visit our Public Notices and Alerts page to view the latest notices, including application details and licence types.

Please note some applications may still be notified through external sources such as local newspapers.