Key features
If you want to operate a bar that holds a maximum of 120 patrons without gaming machines, a small bar licence may be the best fit for you.
A Small Bar licence
- allows alcohol to be sold for consumption on the licensed premises
- allows patron capacity capped at 120
- allows house-made cocktails mixed on-site to be sold for consumption away from the licensed premises, provided they are packaged in sealed containers
- allows alcohol to be sold for consumption on the licensed premises and takeaway sales under certain circumstances
- enables you to provide entertainment
- allows standard trading hours between 10:00am and 12:00 am, Monday to Sunday - and a two-hour extension from 12:00am to 2am can be granted if approved within your development consent
- allows extended trading at additional cost- see Liquor Fee Schedule
- 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.
Doesn't allow
- doesn't permit gaming machines.
May be possible
- may be exempt from the requirement to submit a Statement of Risks and Potential Effects (SoRPE) in certain circumstances – access the How to apply section below for more information
- may qualify for an interim small bar authorisation (ISA) if a SoRPE is not required – see interim small bar authorisation below for more information
- may allow permits under 18s on the licensed premises - in certain circumstances – see Minors authorisation section below.
Costs
Liquor Fee Schedule outlines any related costs
What you need to know
Before applying for your licence, and once you're a licence holder, you should always be aware of the requirements, authorisations, conditions and customisation for this licence.
In addition to the following, see information below on this page about Training requirements and Trading hours. Also see the Liquor licence responsibilities pages.
A Small Bar licence is subject to several requirements under the liquor laws, including:
- 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 is authorised to trade past 12:00am
- Small Bar premises cannot be used to operate as a facility that is regularly used for adult relaxation entertainment of a sexual nature – including strip clubs or sex industry premises.
As a requirement of being a licence holder, you need to submit a FM2044 Licence conditions form - small bar (PDF 485.05KB).
This form contains a list of standard conditions which the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority and/or its delegates may impose if the licence is granted.
See Conditions in How to apply (on this page) for more information on this.
Also see the section on additional authorisations and customisation below.
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.
Also see the section on Minors below.
You can tailor your licence to meet your needs by applying for authorisations and exemptions - fees may apply. See Liquor Fee Schedule.
| Flexible licensing options | Relevant form |
|---|---|
| Allows trading outside standard trading hours. | Extended trading authorisation for small bars (PDF 683.34KB) |
| Becoming a live music venue. | NSW Live music and performance venue application |
| Allows extended trading for a special occasion on a specified date. | Extended trading authorisation - special occasion (PDF 375.71KB) |
| Allows non-metropolitan venues to sell liquor up to 3am on up to 12 occasions annually. | Multi-occasion extended trading authorisation (PDF 454.8KB) |
From 1 March 2025, it's unlawful for small bars to sell takeaway or home delivery liquor without an approved authorisation (with the exception of selling takeaway house-made cocktails).
Apply here for an authorisation to sell takeaway and home delivery.
With the authorisation, small bars are allowed to sell:
- A limited amount of liquor for takeaway purposes provided it is sold with a genuine takeaway meal. Orders are limited to the following:
- 1 sealed bottle of wine where the volume of the packaged liquor is not more than 750mL, or
- not more than 6 sealed containers of beer, cider or ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages where the volume of the packaged liquor is not more than 2,250mL.
- House-made cocktails for take-away consumption if the cocktails are in sealed containers. The cocktails must be mixed on the licensed premises to be sold for takeaway. The sale of house-made cocktails for takeaway may happen without the requirement to be with a genuine takeaway meal.
Due to restrictions on take-away sales on restricted trading days, small bars are not allowed to sell take-away alcohol on Christmas Day or Good Friday.
Note: if offering same day delivery under this authorisation, licensed premises must comply with all relevant NSW alcohol delivery laws. For example, this includes:
- meeting same day delivery data reporting requirements, and
- ensuring delivery persons used by the venue are trained in Responsible Supply of Alcohol (RSAT).
An interim small bar authorisation (ISA) allows you to begin serving liquor two days after you have informed NSW Police and your local council when you wish to operate, and after you have lodged a small bar licence application with Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW).
You will not be eligible to apply for an interim small bar authorisation if you are required to provide a Statement of Risks and Potential Effects (SoRPE).
Am I eligible for an ISA?
To be eligible for an ISA, you must:
- apply online for a small bar liquor licence
- seek trading hours no later than 2am
- have planning approval from your local council to use the premises as a small bar and you have notified police and Liquor & Gaming NSW within two days of DA lodgement with council
- not be applying for any authorisations at the same time as applying for a small bar licence – e.g. to allow minors on the premises in certain circumstances.
Small bars may apply for an Extended Trading Authorisation (PDF 683.34KB) and/or a Minors Authorisation (PDF 342.85KB) after the liquor licence application has been finalised and a liquor licence has been approved.
All small bars issued with an interim authorisation need to notify NSW Police and the local consent authority at least two days before they start trading.
Small bars that regularly provide meals on their premises between opening time and 10pm have the option to allow minors in the company of a responsible adult until 10pm. This allows families to dine-in together in seated areas of small bars during the day and earlier hours of the evening, just as they can in dining areas of pubs and clubs.
Small bars that wish to make use of this option must ensure the correct signage is in place to convey that they are choosing to permit minors.
Small bars can also apply for a Minors Authorisation (PDF 342.85KB) if they wish to allow minors at other times up until 12am or in different circumstances. This is available where a small bar provides diverse offerings that are appropriate for minors in addition to bar services. For example:
- retail offerings – book or record stores
- live music and entertainment, arts and cultural events
- catering for family-oriented functions like birthdays and weddings.
Conditions can be attached to this authorisation, and minors may be required to be accompanied by a responsible adult depending on the services offered.
If granted the authorisation, appropriate signage must be displayed on the premises, including the times and circumstances where minors are permitted.
Is my small bar “regularly providing meals”?
Small bars that regularly provide meals on their premises from opening time until 10pm can decide whether they will allow minors in the company of a responsible adult.
This means meals need to be available for customers to order during these times.
The meals can’t be just bar snacks – they must be genuine meals that are served in seated areas on the premises.
Customers should have no difficulty locating a food menu, which shows meals can be ordered up until at least 10pm.
Applying for a Minors Authorisation
You can apply for the Minors Authorisation using the Minors Authorisation – Small Bars form AM0041 (PDF 342.85KB)
When your application is assessed, a range of relevant factors will be considered – including but not limited to:
- your small bar’s business model and types of services offered that are appropriate for minors
- any proposed harm minimisation measures such as CCTV cameras and conditions around the times and circumstances where minors are permitted
- level of supervision – including the venue’s staff to patron ratio, particularly if it is proposed that minors will be unaccompanied by a responsible adult.
Preferably, applications should be accompanied by a Plan of Management that explains how any risks to minors will be addressed.
Each application will be assessed on its merits.
Displaying the correct signage
All small bars must display the correct signage telling patrons the following information:
- whether minors are allowed on premises, and
- the time period minors are allowed on premises
- the time period minors are NOT allowed on premises.
Small bars that do not allow minors on premises due to the nature of their business model (e.g. cocktail bars only) can simply display the sign which prohibits minors from entering the premises.
These signs may be downloaded from Signs for your business for self-print.
Trading hours and variations
The table below outlines the standard and extended trading hours for a small bar licence.
| Day | Standard trading hours | Extended trading hours - if permitted |
|---|---|---|
| Monday - Sunday | 10:00am – 2:00am* (next day) | 2:00am – 5:00am SoRPE required |
| Good Friday | 10:00am – 10:00pm | 12:00am – 5:00am (Good Friday eve) |
| Christmas Day | 10:00am – 10:00pm | 12:00am – 5:00am (Christmas Eve) |
| New Year's Eve | Normal trading | Normal trading |
* Includes automatic extended trading between 12:00am and 2:00am for small bars under the NSW liquor laws.
Small bar standard trading hours are 10:00am -12:00am, Monday to Sunday. A two-hour extension from 12:00am to 2:00am can be granted if approved within your development consent.
You can apply to extend your trading hours:
- temporarily
- permanently
- to different times on different days of the week
- for extended trading application fees-see Liquor Fee Schedule
Applications for an extended trading authorisation to trade beyond 2am require a Statement of Risks and Potential Effects (SoRPE).
Training requirements
It is best practice to keep copies of your and your staff’s qualifications in a register on the premises.
The required training is as follows.
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 courses for licensees and managers:
- Licensee training
- Advanced licensee training.
For more information, visit Licensee and Advanced Licensee Training
How to apply
You must be 18 years or older and authorised to lodge this licence application.
Read through what's required in the following before applying online at onegov.nsw.gov.au - create an account, or log into your existing account.
Before applying for a small bar licence contact your local council to confirm if you need to lodge a new development consent application.
- If you need to lodge a new development consent application with your local council a Statement of Risks and Potential Effects (SoRPE) is not required (as community consultation will take place through the council process).
- However you must notify police and Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) within two days of lodging your small bar development application with council.
- You can notify both departments by completing a Notice of Development application (PDF 168.51KB)
- If appropriate development consent is already in place for a small bar, you must submit a Statement of Risks and Potential Effects (SoRPE) with your small bar licence application.
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 required information at the time you apply.
- Responding to our request for missing information as soon as possible after we contact you.
What you'll need
You'll need to submit:
- a floor plan (PDF 2MB) clearly showing the proposed boundaries for the licensed area
- if applicable, a copy of your local council development approval or consent or proof a application has been made for 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 237.41KB)
- payment for a new application.
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 or ACN
- 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 (PDF 636.18KB).
Conditions form
This form contains a list of standard conditions which the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority and/or its delegates may impose if the licence is granted.
Please attach the completed form to your online liquor licence application at lodgement. This will reduce the processing time.
FM2044 Licence conditions form - small bar (PDF 485.05KB).
- The Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority and/or its delegates may impose additional or alternative conditions if warranted. However, the party seeking additional or alternative conditions must demonstrate the need for those conditions.
- If you would like to seek alternate conditions, and/or additional conditions, please indicate the relevant condition number, alternative condition text and/or additional condition as well as the reasons in the space provided below the conditions list. You can attach additional information on separate pages if required.
If no SoRPE is required:
- there is no additional requirement to notify neighbouring premises.
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, police and agency stakeholders will be automatically notified of your application.
- Affix your site notice to the front of the premises and ensure it is visible to the public. This site notice must remain in place until your application has been determined.
- Notify neighbouring premises within a 100-metre radius of your venue.
- Notify the recognised leaders or representatives of the local Aboriginal community, and Aboriginal health and social services in the local government area.
View the SoRPE process.
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 214.13KB)
We will advertise your application on the Liquor and Gaming Application Noticeboard for 30 days during which the community can comment on your application.
- We'll assess your application
- We'll notify you, and publish the outcome.
For details on this, and what else happens if your application is approved or rejected, see What to expect at Apply for a liquor licence in NSW
Contact us at Liquor & Gaming NSW
We welcome your feedback, enquiries and complaints about us or a licensed business.
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