ST. LOUIS – Small business in St. Louis now face fewer hurdles when applying for liquor licenses after the city launched a new process Wednesday that simplifies requirements.
The change comes after St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed Board Bill 60 into action earlier this year.
The Mayor’s Office says the city has streamlined the process of obtaining a liquor license by eliminating the need to collect a large number of signatures from neighborhood property owners, residents, and businesses.
“I am thrilled that this new process will stop wasting small business owners’ valuable time,” said Mayor Jones via a news release. “Now, these businesses can open their doors with a temporary license and prove to their community that they deserve a permanent one. That’s good news for small businesses, for job creation, and for building a more vibrant city.”
Under the amended process, small business owners can obtain a temporary 90-day license without the longtime signature requirement.
From there, applicants in good standing may renew their temporary 90-day license once and be eligible for a full license after six months, once they fulfill obligations with a temporary license.
The mayor’s office says both the initial temporary license and the full license require a public hearing before the Excise Commissioner. City leaders are hopeful the changes will allow business owners to strongly focus on growing their businesses.
Small business owners looking to apply for a small business liquor license should visit the city’s website for information and guidance.
The Mayor’s Office outlined this step-by-step process for small businesses seeking a liquor license:
An applicant submits their application online.
The application submission is automatically noted in the City’s open data.
The applicant comes to the Excise Division office to pay the application fee and postage.
While in the office to pay fees, the applicant receives the placard from the Excise Division. The applicant receives notification cards and addresses the notification cards on site. The applicant returns these cards to the Excise Division. The Excise Division asks all applicants if they are going to use an agent for the hearing process. If so, the applicant completes the authorization form while in the office. The Excise Division reminds the applicant that notifications will come to them via email and they can check the status of their application online.
The applicant posts a placard in front of their establishment to notify the neighborhood of their intention to seek a liquor license and the applicant uploads the photo to their application.
Once the Excise Division sees that a placard posting has been added to an application, the Excise Division schedules the hearing for at least 30 days from when the placard was posted. Please note that a hearing will not be scheduled if a confirmation photo is not uploaded to the application by the applicant of the posted placard. The Excise Division notifies both the applicant and stakeholders regarding the hearing date. The Excise Division informs the applicant of any missing documents while reviewing the application. The Excise Division will send a notification card to all residents within 350 feet of the proposed establishment at least 10 days prior to the hearing date.
The Excise Division will verify with the Collector of Revenue’s Office that no taxes are due.
The Excise Division will hold a hearing. The applicant (or their agent) will attend a public hearing on their license.
At the hearing, the applicant will learn if they are approved. If approved, the applicant will take their materials to the License Collector’s Office to pay for their initial 90-day, license.
The Excise Division will determine if the applicant is approved for renewal. The Excise Division will notify the License Collector’s Office that the applicant is cleared for one renewal at least 14 days prior to the expiration of the original license. This renewal will also last 90 days. The applicant will be required to pick up their renewed license at the License Collector’s Office and pay.
The Excise Division will schedule the applicant for a final determination hearing and notify both the applicant and stakeholders. The applicant or their agent will attend a final determination hearing, a second public hearing, to evaluate if they should receive a full license. At this hearing, the applicant must present evidence that their food sales meet the appropriate threshold.
If the applicant is successful, the applicant will take the final determination notice from the Excise Division to the License Collector’s Office and pay for their annual license.
