Liquor offences for businesses
If you breach liquor licensing laws, you could be fined or jailed.
Penalty unit (PU) values are listed on the Department of Attorney-General and Justice website.
Offences and penalties for businesses
| Section | Offence | Penalty infringement notice | Maximum penalty | Who may be accountable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 18(1) | Fail to return identity card to the Director within 21 days after ceasing to be an inspector | 1 PU | 50 PU | Inspector |
| Section 35 | Sell wholesale liquor without being registered | N/A | 250 PU or imprisonment for 12 months | Individual |
| Section 36 | Registered wholesaler fails to keep a written record of information and keep that record for at least 3 years unless exempted by the Director | 2 PU | 50 PU | Wholesaler |
| Section 37 | Registered wholesaler fails to lodge a return providing information prescribed by regulation in relation to liquor sales, within 28 days after the end of each quarter | 2 PU | 50 PU | Wholesaler |
| Section 45(1) | Sell liquor without a licence and authority, unless exempt under section 43 | N/A | 300 PU or imprisonment for 3 years | Individual |
| Section 45(2) | Sell liquor from a place outside the NT for delivery into the NT, unless the sale is exempt under section 43 or in line with relevant interstate retailers licence conditions | N/A | 300 PU or imprisonment for 3 years | Individual |
| Section 46(1) | Supply or serve liquor at a premises that is used or occupied for a commercial or business purpose, unless that supply or sale is exempt under section 43 | 5 PU | 200 PU or imprisonment for 3 years | Individual |
| Section 76(1) | Failure to appoint an acting licensee or notify the Director of their full name and address within 3 days, if unable to conduct business for more than 7 days | 2 PU | 50 PU | Licensee |
| Section 76(7) | An acting licensee acts for more than 42 days in a 12 month period without approval from the Director | 2 PU | 50 PU | Licensee |
| Section 79(1) and (2) | Failure to notify the Director of bankruptcy, etc. in the approved form within 7 days | 1 PU | 20 PU | Licensee |
| Section 98(1) | Material alteration made to a premises without Commission approval | 3 PU | 100 PU | Licensee |
| Section 98(2) | Business is conducted outside of the arrangement approved by the Commission while a material alteration is being made | 3 PU | 100 PU | Licensee |
| Section 100(2) and (3) | Liquor is sold without payment being made at the time of sale (payment includes all legal tender) | 3 PU | 100 PU | Licensee or employee |
| Section 101 | Keep or hold a person’s credit or debit card as security for payment for the sale of liquor or other items | 3 PU | 100 PU | Licensee |
| Section 108 | Fail to keep records for 3 years as prescribed by regulation regarding purchases and sales or (for grocery store authority) the ratio of sales of liquor to sales of other products | 2 PU | 50 PU | Licensee |
| Section 109 | Fail to produce records of liquor purchases on request of inspector | 1 PU | 20 PU | Licensee |
| Section 126 | Offer liquor products for sale below minimum sale price | 5 PU | 200 PU | Licensee |
| Section 127 | Sell liquor product below the minimum sale price | 3 PU | 100 PU | Licensee |
| Section 131(1) | Contravene section 130 requirement in relation to operating an identification system | 4 PU | 100 PU | Licensee |
| Section 131 (2) | Contravene section 130 requirement in relation to operating an identification system | 3 PU | 100 PU | Employee |
| Section 141 (1) | Failure to exclude and remove a person who is violent, quarrelsome, disorderly or incapable of controlling behaviour | 3PU | 100 PU | Licensee and employee |
| Section 143 | Failure to leave immediately when excluded or removed under section 141 or 142 | 1 PU | 20 PU | Individual |
| Section 144 | Re-enter or attempt to re-enter a licensed premises within 12 hours after being excluded or removed under section 141 or 142 | 1 PU | 20 PU | Individual |
| Section 148(1) | If a person is subject to a direction under section 146 in relation to controlling the promotion of undesirable liquor products, and they engage in conduct that contravenes that direction | 3 PU | 100 PU | Individual |
| Section 148(2) | Intentionally manufacture or supply a liquor product that is prohibited or restricted under section 146. | 3 PU | 100 PU | Individual |
| Section 173 | Bring into, possess, control, consume, sell, supply or serve liquor in a general restricted area | 2 PU | 200 PU or 12 months imprisonment | Individual |
| Section 183 | Bring into, possess, control, consume, sell, supply or serve liquor in a special restricted area | 2 PU | 200 PU or 12 months imprisonment | Individual |
| Section 189 | Bring onto or into, possess, control, or consume liquor in a restricted premises | 1 PU | 100 PU | Individual |
| Section 197 | Remove, deface or interfere with a declaration of restricted premises warning notice | 1 PU | 20 PU | Individual |
| Section 207(1) | Contravene a condition of a permit for a restricted area | 1 PU | 20 PU | Individual |
| Section 207(3) | Failure to return a revoked permit when requested to by police or inspector | 1 PU | 20 PU | Individual |
| Section 214(3) | Failure to state accurate name and address details when requested to by police for the purposes of issuing a banning notice | 1 PU | 5 PU | Individual |
| Section 214(5) | Failure to produce available evidence of a name and address for residence or work when requested to by police, in relation to issuing a banning notice | 1 PU | 5 PU | Individual |
| Section 218 | Enter or attempt to enter a high risk area or licensed premises if you are banned | 1 PU | 20 PU | Individual |
| Section 224 | Enter or attempt to enter or remain in a high risk area or premises contrary to an exclusion order | 1 PU | 50 PU | Individual |
| Section 228 | Failure to comply with a direction to leave a high risk or licensed premises by a police officer, if you are banned or excluded | 1 PU | 50 PU | Individual |
| Section 229(1) and (2) | Knowingly permit a banned or excluded person to enter a licensed premises | 5 PU | 200 PU | Licensee and employee |
| Section 253 | Failure to comply with a requirement or direction given to a person under section 250(2),(3)(a) or (7) including to provide information and ID | 2 PU | 50 PU | Individual |
| Section 254 | Failure to comply with a direction by police or inspector not to sell to a person for the remainder of the day | 2 PU | 50 PU or 6 months imprisonment | Licensee or employee |
| Section 283 | Sell, supply or serve adulterated liquor | 3 PU | 100 PU | Individual |
| Section 284 | Permit indecent, violent, quarrelsome or riotous conduct on or in licensed premises | 3 PU | 100 PU | Licensee |
| Section 285(1) | Sell or supply to a person who is on a licensed premises and is intoxicated | 5 PU | 200 PU | Licensee |
| Section 285(2) | Supply liquor as a registered complimentary server of liquor to an intoxicated person | NA | 200 PU | Individual |
| Section 286(2) | Intentionally misrepresenting identity to a licensee or employee at the time of purchase, for the purpose of buying liquor | 1 PU | 50 PU | Individual |
| Section 286 (3) | Present a false or fictitious ID document to purchase liquor | 1 PU | 50 PU | Individual |
| Section 286 (4) | Give ID documents to another person to use as that person’s ID, to purchase liquor. | 1 PU | 50 PU | Individual |
| Section 287 (4) | Failure to provide a person of a seized ID information about the process of seizure, and give ID to Director within 72 hours. | 1 PU | 20 PU | Licensee and employee |
| Section 288(1) | Provide false information to an inspector or police | 1 PU | 50 PU or imprisonment for 6 months | Individual |
| Section 289 | Disclose confidential information obtained during the course of performing a function of the Act | 2 PU | 200 PU or imprisonment for 2 years | Individual |
| Section 290 | Failure to comply with a requirement to post a copy of the licence and details in a conspicuous place in the licensed premises | 3 PU | 100 PU | Licensee |
| Section 291 | Failure to produce a licence or other documents on demand to an inspector or police officer | 1 PU | 20 PU | Licensee |
| Section 292 | A person is found guilty of an offence against the Gaming Control Act on a licensed premises | 3 PU | 100 PU | Licensee |
| Section 293(1) | Contravene a licence condition or authority | 5 PU | 200 PU | Licensee |
| Section 294(1) | Purchase unlicensed or unauthorised liquor | 2 PU | 100 PU | Individual |
| Section 296(2) | Send a child to purchase or collect liquor from a licensed premises | 3 PU | 50 PU | Individual |
| Section 297(4) | Employ a child to sell or supply liquor without written notice given by the Director | 4 PU | 85 PU | Individual |
| Section 298 (3) | Contravene a requirement to post a notice in the approved form when an area of a licensed premises has been declared as prohibited to children | 1 PU | 20 PU | Licensee |
| Section 299 (2) | Permit a child to enter or remain in an area of a licensed premises prohibited to children | 3 PU | 85 PU | Licensee or employee |
| Section 300(2) | Child misrepresents age for the purpose of entering or remaining on a licensed premises or purchasing liquor | 0.5 PU | 50 PU | Child |
| Section 300(3) | Child presents false ID document to purchase liquor | 0.5 PU | 50 PU | Child |
| Section 300 (4) | Provide ID to a child to misrepresent the age or identity of the child for the purpose of purchasing liquor, or entering or remaining on a licensed premises | 1 PU | 50 PU | Individual |
| Section 301(2) | A person who is not a parent, step-parent, spouse or guardian or otherwise supervising the child responsibly to serve or supply liquor to a child | 3 PU | 100 PU | Individual |
| Section 303 (1) | Engage in conduct that results in a child being sold or supplied with liquor | 5 PU | 200 PU | Licensee |
| Section 303 (2) | Engage in conduct that results in a child being sold or supplied with liquor | 3 PU | 100 PU | Employee |
| Section 304 | A person intentionally and falsely represents that they or another person is an inspector | NA | 50 PU or imprisonment for 6 months | Individual |
| Section 305 | Obstruct an inspector or a police officer exercising a power under the Liquor Act | NA | 50 PU or imprisonment for 6 months | Individual |
| Section 307 | Executive officer of a body corporate liable for offence of body corporate | Same infringement | Maximum that is prescribed for an individual for the offence | Individual |
| Section 314(2) | Fail to comply with a request for information or documents to be provided to the Commission or the Director | 2 PU | 50 PU or imprisonment for 6 months | Individual |
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