Montana’s restaurant and bar businesses are extremely competitive. If you are fortunate enough to be a successful owner of one of these establishments, you undoubtedly work very hard. Hopefully, it’s paying off for you and your family.
Alcohol sales can greatly increase the profitability of your business, but It is essential that you apply for and are granted a liquor license if you are going to sell liquor to the public. If you are just starting out in the business, you may not even understand how to go about obtaining a license. You will need to follow the proper steps in the proper order and then you can get started.
What do I do first?
Montana has several different forms that you will need to fill out and what you will need to submit all depends on what you are doing. Here are some of the common forms that you may need before you establish your business.
- Alcoholic beverage authorization: This form is needed for a new alcoholic beverage license. The form is required by the Department of Revenue.
- Alcoholic Beverage/ Gambling Operator Combined License Application: This form is needed for a new alcoholic license and/or a new or revised license for gambling.
- Alcoholic Beverage/ Gambling Operator Combined License Application Guide: This form is a guide for completing the Alcoholic beverage/gambling operator combined license application.
- Alcoholic Beverages/Gambling Operator Short Form: This is the form that you will need to use if your business has a change in ownership of the license because of a death, divorce, gift, the license was sold, foreclosure, the type of business changed, the ownership changed by more than 10% in either direction or the type of license changed.
- Business statement: Any change in management employees, directors or officers has to be reported to this department.
- Certified Survey Affidavit: This is required for a new alcoholic beverage license or a change in the business’s location. It establishes the area of quota for the license.
- On-Premises Notice: This license acknowledges that the person applying for a new on-premise beer license within an incorporated city is not permitted to have gambling on their premises.
- Secured Party/Security Interest Form: This form is to remove, add or revise secured party information on your alcoholic beverage license.
Advice from a Montana attorney
If you are setting up a business and things are not going quite as you had planned, the advice of an experienced Montana attorney can help you to get the licenses that you need and they can advise you about the most effective way to get what you need so that you can put everything in order and make sure that you are doing everything by the books. At times, you may not know what you don’t know and the advice of your attorney may make a tremendous difference to how you go through the process while protecting your rights at the same time.