Liquor and hospitality
Changes to the NT Liquor Act
On 1 October 2019, liquor laws changed in the Northern Territory (NT).
Find out about changes to the NT liquor laws.
Licences, trading hours, serving alcohol, food business responsibilities, alcohol and smoking laws.
- Changes to NT liquor laws
Information for new and current liquor licence holders, wholesalers and interstate retailers about changes to the NT Liquor Act.
- Buying an existing food business
Information about buying an existing food business, including registering, licences and permits. - Register or renew a food business
How to register or renew a food business. - Food business registration fees
Fees to register or renew your food business. - Food safety and regulations
Information about food safety and regulations for businesses in the Northern Territory. - Private water supplies: food or accommodation businesses
Water safety requirements for businesses that use private water supplies such as bores or rainwater tanks. - Risk classification in food businesses
How food businesses are classified depending on food safety risks. - Register or renew an accommodation business
How to register or renew a commercial accommodation business such as a hotel or motel in the Northern Territory.
- Adult entertainment in licensed premises
Information for liquor licensed venues about adult entertainment rules and restrictions. - Camera surveillance in licensed premises
Guidelines for camera surveillance requirements for licensed premises, including camera surveillance plans and access to recordings. - Make changes to licensed premises
How to get approval to make material alterations to a licensed premises. - List of NT licensed premises
Search a database of all licensed premises in the Northern Territory. Search by region, licencee, licence number or category. - Outlaw motorcycle gangs and your liquor licence
Information for licensed premises about outlaw motorcycle gang laws. - Prevent and report drink spiking
Information for liquor licence holders about drink spiking on their premises, including staff responsibilities. - Promote alcohol responsibly
Information for liquor licence holders about alcohol promotion laws, including low alcohol beer promotions, alcohol in non-standard measures and drink cards. - Public holiday trading
Information about Christmas and New Year trading restrictions, how they affect your licensed premises and how to stay compliant.
- Liquor licence types
Work out which liquor licence authority you need before applying for your licence. - Apply for a liquor licence
How to apply for a liquor licence in the Northern Territory, when you don't need a licence and types of authorities you can apply for. - Documents for your liquor licence application
A list of documents you need before you apply for a liquor licence. - Check if you need a liquor licence
Situations where a liquor licence may not be the right option. - Convert your liquor licence
How to convert a current liquor licence to an equivalent licence. - Advertise a liquor licence application
How to advertise a liquor licence application. When you need to advertise, what you need to do and where to advertise. - Liquor licence fees
Find out how much you have to pay to submit a liquor-related application. - Transfer a liquor licence
How to transfer a liquor licence to an individual, partnership or company. - Change or vary liquor licence conditions or authority
How to temporarily change your liquor licence conditions. - Change a liquor licence nominee
Information for NT licensed premises about how to change a liquor licence nominee, including nominee requirements. - Register as a wholesaler of liquor
How to register as a wholesaler of liquor in the Northern Territory including how to submit quarterly returns and how to renew your registration. - Sell retail alcohol from interstate to the NT
Rules for interstate liquor retailers on selling alcohol to the Northern Territory, including how to apply for a licence and licence conditions. - Register to serve free alcoholic drinks
Information for Northern Territory businesses wanting to serve free alcoholic drinks to customers, including how to register as a complimentary server and rules that apply. - Declare your associates
Information about declaring associates when applying for a liquor licence including the definition of an associate and who should be disclosed as an associate. - Apply to be an approved licensee
Rules and advice on how to qualify as a 'fit and proper person' to work in the liquor industry. - How to make a complaint about a licensee that sells, supplies or serves liquor
When and how to make a complaint about a Northern Territory liquor licensee. - Appoint an acting liquor licensee
How to appoint an acting liquor licensee on a short term basis if you're unable to run your business.
- Serve alcohol responsibly
Who needs a responsible service of alcohol (RSA) certificate, and how to get one. - Alcohol photo ID system: Alice Springs and Katherine
Information for businesses about the alcohol photo ID system in Alice Springs and Katherine. - Fake or false ID
Information for liquor licence holders about how to identify fake or false ID, fake ID laws and what to do when you seize a fake or false ID. - Intoxicated patrons in licensed premises
Information for liquor licensees and licensed venues about selling and supplying alcohol to intoxicated patrons. - Children working or employed in licensed premises
Rules for liquor licensees about children working or employed in licensed premises including when children can sell, supply or serve alcohol. - Sunday takeaway alcohol
Rules for liquor licensees about selling alcohol on Sundays. - Register to serve BYO alcoholic drinks at a business
Businesses in the NT that want to serve BYO liquor to customers, must register as a BYO server of liquor.
- Club and community club events and alcohol
How to notify your intention to hold a club or community club function in the Northern Territory. - Liquor tasting
Who can hold a liquor tasting, how liquor licences affect liquor tasting and rules about giveaways and food. - Water quality at public events
Quality and amount of drinking water needed for audiences at public events or mass gatherings.
- Liquor offences for businesses
Types of offences and penalties for businesses that break the law. Find out about offences, maximum penalties and who is accountable. - Local Liquor Accords
Local Liquor Accords (LLA) is a voluntary agreement on the management or conduct of local businesses that supply alcohol. - Smoking laws and businesses
Information for businesses about where smoking is permitted, smoke-free policies and non-smoking signs. - Responsible promotion of alcohol Code of Practice
Acceptable and unacceptable practices related to promoting alcohol. - Apply for a review of a liquor delegate's decision
How to apply for a review of a liquor delegate's decision if you disagree with the outcome. - Licensed premises and children
Rules for allowing children on a licensed premises and responsibilities of NT liquor licensees. - Death of a liquor licensee
Apply to conduct the business of a liquor licensee after their death. - Bankruptcy, insolvency and other financial difficulties of a liquor licensee
Who to notify if you experience financial difficulty. How to apply to conduct the business of a bankrupt licensee.