Liquor licence types

Restaurant

Risk classification: low

This authority lets you sell alcohol to patrons with food at the premises.

Key conditions include:

• Standard days and hours of trade are 10am to midnight every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Trade on Good Friday and Christmas Day is allowed from 11am to 9pm as long as you only sell alcohol to patrons who buy a full meal during those hours.
• Standard hours on New Year’s Day can be extended from midnight to 2am as long as you notify the director of liquor licensing before 3 December each year.
• The kitchen must remain open during the hours of operation until 1.5 hours before the licensed premises closes.

Restaurant bar

Risk classification: moderate

You can apply for this authority if you have or are applying for a restaurant authority. It lets you sell alcohol to patrons with or without food at the premises.

Key conditions include:

• Standard days and hours of trade are 10am to midnight every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Trade on Good Friday is allowed from 11am to 9pm.
• Trade on Christmas Day is allowed from 11am to 9pm as long as you only sell alcohol to patrons who buy a full meal during those hours.
• Standard hours on New Year’s Day can be extended from midnight to 2am as long as you notify the director of liquor of licensing before 3 December each year.
• A light meal must be available to buy during operating hours.
• The kitchen must remain open during the hours of operation until 1.5 hours before the licensed premises closes.
• The licensed premises must look like a restaurant.

Risk classification: very high

A takeaway authority allows you to sell alcohol to customers who will drink it away from the licensed premises.

You can’t sell alcohol on Sundays unless your store is attached to a licensed premises, such as a pub, that is also open.

The rules and restrictions for takeaway alcohol vary in each region of the Northern Territory.

The moratorium on new takeaway licences has been extended until 28 February 2026. This means no new takeaway licences will be issued and applications are not being accepted. Only businesses that already possess this authority can trade under it. To get a copy of the Liquor Amendment Regulations 2025, go to the Northern Territory Legislation website.

Risk classification: very high

A grocery store authority allows you to sell alcohol products to customers who will drink it away from the licensed premises.

The premises must be part of, or attached to, your primary business of selling groceries or other non-liquor items.

You can't sell alcohol on Sundays if you have a licence with a grocery store authority.

No new grocery store authorities will be issued under the Liquor Act 2019.

Lodging

Risk classification: low

This authority lets you sell alcohol to guests staying at your accommodation to drink on the premises.

Standard days and hours of operation are:

• for a minibar – 24 hours a day every day of the year
• for room service – from 10am to midnight every day of the year.

Alcohol can only be served, sold or supplied to a guest staying at the premises at the minibar or through room service.

Wayside inn

Risk classification: moderate

This authority allows you to sell alcohol to anyone to drink at the licensed premises if meals, accommodation and motor fuel and oils are available to buy.

Key conditions include:

• Standard days and hours of operation are 7am to midnight every day of the year except Christmas Day.
• Trade on Good Friday is allowed between 11:00am and 9:00pm.
• Standard hours may be extended from midnight to 7am every day of the year except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Accommodation must consist of at least 3 separate rooms or units, and be able to accommodate at least 6 patrons in total.
• A full meal must be available to buy as follows:
  • breakfast between 7am and 9am
  • lunch between 12 noon and 2pm
  • dinner between 6pm and 8pm.
• A light meal must be available to buy at all times the premises is open.
• Motor fuels and oils must be available for the travelling public to buy, 24 hours a day.

Risk classification: high

You must have a casino licence to apply for this authority.

Risk classification: very low

If you operate tours or provide specialist services, you can apply for this authority.

A special venture authority allows you to sell alcohol to participants as long as it is not the main part of your services.

Key conditions include:

• standard hours and days of operation are 5:30am to midnight any day that the service is provided
• alcohol can only be sold to customers who have booked the service.

Club

Risk classification: moderate

A club authority allows you to sell alcohol to members, guests and visitors to drink at the licensed premises.

Key conditions include:

• Standard days and hours of trade are 10am to midnight every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Trade on Good Friday is allowed from 11am to 9pm.
• Trade on Christmas Day is allowed from 11am to 9pm as long as you only sell alcohol to patrons who buy a full meal during those hours.
• Standard hours on New Year’s Day can be extended from midnight to 2am as long as you notify the director of liquor licensing before 3 December each year.
• Trade on Anzac Day for a licence authorised by the Returned Services Leagues (RSL) is allowed between 4:30am and 10am only if certain conditions are met, read more about public holiday trading.
• Alcohol can only be sold to members or guests.
• A light meal must be available to buy at least 5 days a week between:
  • 12 noon and 2 pm and
  • 6pm and 8pm.
• If you also hold a takeaway authority, you can only sell alcohol under that authority to a club member.
• There is no restriction on the total annual volume of alcohol that may be sold.

Community club

Risk classification: very low

A community club authority allows you to sell alcohol to members, guests and visitors to drink at the licensed premises.

The standard hours and days of trade and conditions of a community club authority are tailored to meet your needs as the licensee.

Catering

Risk classification: low

A catering authority allows you to sell, supply or serve alcohol to patrons as part of catering services for functions such as:

• corporate events
• cocktail parties
• dinners.

Key conditions include:

• standard hours and days of trade are 11:30am to midnight
• alcohol may only be sold, supplied or served to patrons who are consuming food from the licensee.

Major event

Risk classification: high

This authority allows you to sell alcohol to patrons attending a single event that is expected to:

• have at least 1,500 attendees or
• have a significant effect on public transport or local services or
• require more than a usual amount of emergency services or police supervision.

Key conditions include:

• security at the event must include at least 2 licensed crowd controllers for the first 100 patrons and one additional licensed crowd controller for each additional 100 patrons
• all alcohol sold must be in open containers and no more than 4 containers may be sold to one person at a time.

Community event

Risk classification: very low

This authority allows you to sell alcohol to patrons at events that are organised on a regular but infrequent basis.

You must notify the director of liquor licensing at least 14 business days before the event.

Special event

Risk classification: very low

This authority allows you to sell alcohol to patrons attending a single event that expects to have less than 1,500 attendees.

Producer

Risk classification: low

If you produce liquor products, this authority allows you to sell your products to the public at the place of manufacture, to drink on or off the premises. It also permits you to attend events where you can sell or supply your products.

Key conditions include:

• Standard hours and days of operation are 10am to 10pm every day of the year except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• A light meal must be available to buy during operating hours.
• Trading at events - you must notify the director of liquor licensing at least 7 days before attending an event if you plan to sell or supply liquor under this authority. To notify the director, fill in:
  • Notice to director for producers off premises sales PDF (704.1 KB)
  • Notice to director for producers off premises sales DOCX (66.6 KB).

Small bar

Risk classification: moderate

A small bar authority lets you sell alcohol on or in a licensed premises with a maximum capacity of 100 patrons.

Key conditions include:

• Standard days and hours of trade are 10am to midnight every day.
• Standard hours on New Year’s Day can be extended from midnight to 2am as long as you notify the director of liquor licensing before 3 December each year.
• A light meal must be available to buy during operating hours.

Public bar

Risk classification: high

A public bar authority allows you to sell alcohol to patrons who will drink it at the licensed premises.

Key conditions include:

• Standard days and hours of trade are 10am to midnight every day except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Trade on Good Friday is allowed from 11am to 9pm.
• Trade on Christmas Day is allowed from 11am to 9pm as long as you only sell alcohol to patrons who buy a full meal during those hours.
• Standard hours on New Year’s Day can be extended from midnight to 2am as long as you notify the director of liquor licensing before 3 December each year.
• The premises must have camera surveillance.
• The following meal options must be available when the premises is open between 12 noon and 2pm, and 6pm and 8pm:
  • a full meal must be available to buy at least 5 days a week and
  • at least a light meal must be available to buy on other days.

Late night

Risk classification: very high

You can only apply for this authority if you already have or are applying for:

• a small bar authority or
• a public bar authority.

A late night authority allows you to sell alcohol to patrons who will drink at the licensed premises from midnight to 2am.

An extended late night authority will allow you to sell alcohol to patrons who will drink at the licensed premises from midnight to 4am.

A lockout applies to an extended late night authority – patrons are not allowed to enter after 3am.

The hours can be extended by one hour on New Year’s Day if written notice is given to the director of liquor licensing before 3 December.

Key conditions include:

• no serving of free drinks
• crowd controller security must be provided
• video surveillance must be provided
• live entertainment must be provided for patrons after 2am.

You can only apply for this authority if you have or are applying for a public bar authority.

It lets you host adult-themed entertainment or services on your premises.

There are 3 types of authorities that may apply.

Adult entertainment

This allows staff to work topless or in lingerie.

It does not allow for genitals to be on display, whether deliberate or by accident. This includes the anus, vulva, vagina, penis or scrotum.

Adult entertainment R-rated

This allows you to host the following:

• general strip shows
• R-rated entertainment
• full nudity.

Adult entertainment explicit

This allows you to host the following:

• general and private strip shows
• R-rated entertainment
• full nude staff or entertainers
• non-sexual contact between entertainers and patrons
• voluntary audience participation.