Types of liquor licence authorities

Restaurant authority

A restaurant authority lets you sell alcohol to customers buying food at the restaurant.

Risk classification

• Low.

Key conditions

• Standard trading hours: 10am to midnight daily, except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Good Friday and Christmas Day: Alcohol can be sold from 11am to 9pm, but only to customers buying a full meal.
• New Year’s Day extension: Trading can be extended from midnight to 2am, provided the director of liquor licensing is notified by 3 December each year.
• Kitchen requirements: The kitchen must remain open during operating hours and can close no earlier than 1.5 hours before the premises closes.

Restaurant bar authority

A restaurant bar authority lets you sell alcohol to customers with or without food on the premises.

Risk classification

• Moderate.

Key conditions

• Standard trading hours: 10am to midnight daily, except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Good Friday: Alcohol can be sold from 11am to 9pm.
• Christmas Day: Alcohol can be sold from 11am to 9pm, but only to customers buying a full meal.
• New Year’s Day extension: Trading can be extended from midnight to 2am if the director of liquor licensing is notified by 3 December.
• Kitchen requirements: A light meal must be available to buy during operating hours, and the kitchen must remain open until at least 1.5 hours before closing.
• Premises appearance: The venue must maintain the look and function of a restaurant.

Small bar authority

A small bar authority allows you to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises with a maximum capacity of 100 customers.

Risk classification

• Moderate.

Key conditions

• Standard trading hours: 10am to midnight every day.
• New Year’s Day extension: Trading can be extended from midnight to 2am if you notify the director of liquor licensing before 3 December each year.
• Kitchen requirements: A light meal must be available to buy during operating hours.

Public bar authority

A public bar authority allows you to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises.

Risk classification

• High.

Key conditions

• Standard trading hours: 10am to midnight every day, except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Good Friday trading: 11am to 9pm.
• Christmas Day trading: Alcohol can be sold from 11am to 9pm, but but only to customers buying a full meal.
• New Year’s Day extension: Trading can be extended from midnight to 2am if you notify the director of liquor licensing before 3 December each year.
• Camera surveillance: Operational video surveillance systems are required to monitor the premises.
• Kitchen requirements:
  • A full meal must be available at least 5 days a week between:
    • 12 noon to 2pm
    • 6pm to 8pm
  • A light meal must be available on other days.

Club authority

A club authority allows you to sell alcohol to members and guests for consumption on the premises. You must also provide meals.

Risk classification

• Moderate.

Key conditions

• Standard trading hours: 10am to midnight every day, except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Good Friday trading: 11am to 9pm.
• Christmas Day trading: 11am to 9pm, but alcohol can only be served to customers buying a full meal.
• New Year’s Day trading: Hours can be extended from midnight to 2am if you notify the director of liquor licensing by 3 December each year.
• Anzac Day (RSL clubs only): Trading is allowed from 4:30am to 10am under specific conditions.
• Kitchen requirements: A light meal must be available to buy at least 5 days a week during:
  • 12 noon and 2pm
  • 6pm and 8pm.
• Clubs with a takeaway authority: Can only sell to club members.

Community club authority

A community club authority allows you to sell alcohol for on-site consumption to members, guests and visitors.

Risk classification

• Very low.

Key conditions

• The standard hours and days of trade and conditions of a community club authority are tailored to meet your needs as the licence holder.
• Limit prescribed by regulation on the aggregate annual volume of alcohol that can be sold.

Late night authority

A late night authority allows you to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises between midnight and 2am.

Risk classification

• Very high.

Eligibility

This authority can be issued in conjunction with a:

• small bar authority
• public bar authority
• restaurant authority
• restaurant bar authority
• club authority.

Key conditions

• Prohibition of free drinks: Licence holders are prohibited from serving free alcoholic drinks to customers.
• Food requirements: Snacks must be available to buy during operating hours.
• New Year's Day extension: Trading hours can be extended by one hour if you notify the director of liquor licensing before 3 December each year.

Further conditions for licence holders with a small bar authority or public bar authority only:

• Security requirement: Adequate crowd controller security must be provided during late trading hours.
• Camera surveillance: Operational video surveillance systems are required to monitor the premises.

Extended late night authority

An extended late night authority allows you to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises between midnight and 4am.

Risk classification

• Very high.

Eligibility

This authority can be issued in conjunction with a:

• small bar authority
• public bar authority
• restaurant authority
• restaurant bar authority
• club authority.

Key conditions

• Prohibition of free drinks: Licence holders are prohibited from serving free alcoholic drinks to customers.
• Food requirements: Snacks must be available to buy during operating hours.
• Entertainment requirement: Entertainment must be provided after 2am.
• Lockout provisions: Lockout is required from 3am and means:
  • new customers cannot enter after 3am
  • the licence holder may allow customers already there to leave and re-enter after 3am, if they leave for less than 20 minutes. If the licence holder can justify an exception to the 20 minute limit, they must keep a record of exceptions.
• New Year's Day extension: Trading hours can be extended by one hour if you notify the director of liquor licensing before 3 December each year.

Further conditions for licence holders with a small bar authority or public bar authority only:

• Security requirements: Adequate crowd controller security must be provided during late trading hours.
• Camera surveillance: Operational video surveillance systems are required to monitor the premises.

Catering authority

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

• corporate events
• cocktail parties
• dinners.

Risk classification

• Low.

Key conditions

• Standard trading hours: 11:30am to midnight
• Food must be served by the licence holder.

Major event authority

A major event authority allows you to sell alcohol to customers at large-scale events that either:

• expect at least 1,500 attendees
• have a significant impact on public transport or local services
• require additional emergency services or police supervision.

Risk classification

• High.

Key Conditions

• Security must include:
  • at least 2 licensed crowd controllers for the first 100 attendees
  • one additional licensed crowd controller for every 100 additional attendees.
• Alcohol must be sold in open containers.
• A maximum of 4 alcoholic drinks can be sold to a person at one time.

Community event authority

A community event authority allows you to sell alcohol at regular but infrequent community events.

Risk classification

• Very low.

Key conditions

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

Special event authority

A special event authority allows you to sell alcohol at a single event with fewer than 1,500 attendees.

Risk classification

• Very low.

Liquor producer authority

If you produce alcohol, this authority allows you to sell your products for customers to drink on or off the premises. It also permits you to attend events where you can sell or supply your products.

Risk classification

• Low.

Key conditions

• Standard trading hours: 10am to 10pm every day, except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Kitchen requirements: 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 alcohol under this authority. To notify the director, fill in the:
  • Notice to director for producers off premises sales PDF (704.1 KB)
  • Notice to director for producers off premises sales DOCX (66.6 KB)

Lodging authority

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

Risk classification

• Low.

Key conditions

• Minibar service: Available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
• Room service: Available from 10am to midnight, every day of the year.
• Guest restriction: Alcohol can only be served, sold or supplied to guests staying at the premises, either by minibar or room service.

Wayside inn authority

A wayside inn authority allows you to sell alcohol to guests staying at the accommodation and to customers who are not guests if meals, accommodation, motor fuel and oils are available to buy.

Risk classification

• Moderate.

Key conditions

• Must have at least 3 separate rooms or units.
• Must accommodate a minimum of 6 customers in total.
• Kitchen requirements:
  • A full meal must be available to buy:
    • breakfast: 7am to 9am
    • lunch: 12 noon to 2pm
    • dinner: 6pm to 8pm.
  • A light meal must be available to buy at all times while the premises is open.
• Motor fuels and oils must be available to buy 24 hours a day for the travelling public.

Special venture authority

A special venture authority allows you to sell alcohol to participants as long as it is not the main part of your services. For example, a tour operator who wants to sell alcohol to customers during a tour.

Risk classification

• Very low.

Key conditions

• Standard trading hours: 5:30am to midnight any day the service is provided by the licence holder.
• Alcohol can only be sold to customers who have booked the service in advance.
• Selling souvenir alcohol: With approval from the director of liquor licensing, you can sell alcohol as promotional products to be taken home by customers if it promotes the NT's produce, culture or history.

Takeaway authority

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

Applications for new takeaway authorities are not being accepted

• The moratorium on new takeaway licences has been extended until 28 February 2026, through the Liquor Amendment Regulations 2025. This means no new takeaway licences will be issued and applications are not being accepted. Only businesses that already have this authority can trade under it.

Risk classification

• Very high.

Key conditions

• Sunday sales restriction: Alcohol cannot be sold on Sundays unless your store is attached to a licensed premises, such as a pub, that is also open.
• Regional takeaway rules: Takeaway alcohol restrictions vary across the NT.

Grocery store authority

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

No new grocery story licences are being issued

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

Risk classification

• Very high.

Key conditions

• 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.
• Liquor sales cannot exceed 25% of the grocery store’s total sales in value.

There are 3 types of authorities that let you host adult-themed entertainment or services:

• adult entertainment authority
• adult entertainment R-rated authority
• adult entertainment explicit authority

The authority you apply for depends on the type of adult entertainment you want to host.

To decide which authority type to apply for, read more about adult entertainment authorities.