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How to Get a Liquor Licence in Manitoba

Get a liquor licence in Manitoba through the LGCA: the service, retail, and manufacturer's licence classes, the staged application, the background investigation, and the current fees.

Written November 8, 2026 · 10 min read

Applies in: Manitoba

The short answer

Apply to the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA) for the licence class that fits what the business will actually do. Manitoba has three licence families: liquor service licences for selling and serving liquor for consumption on the premises, retail liquor licences for selling liquor to take home, and manufacturer's licences for making beer, wine, or spirits. Pick the class first, because the fee, the form, and the conditions all follow from it — and because a licence cannot be transferred, a buyer of an existing licensed business must apply for a new licence of their own.

This guide covers the Manitoba process only. It gives no legal advice and no advice on which business model to choose.

The licence classes

The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act provides for liquor service licences, retail liquor licences, and manufacturer's licences. On its current pages, the LGCA presents service licences in two groups:

  • Age-restricted liquor service licence — for businesses that offer activities appropriate for minors, such as restaurants, sports and recreation facilities, and hair salons. Minors can be admitted under an authorization for a specific community event or for specified days or times.
  • General liquor service licence — for businesses focused on activities intended for adults, such as bars, nightclubs, live entertainment venues, and casinos.

The older class names that appear in the Act and in the Licensing and Appeals Regulation — dining room, beverage room, retail, and manufacturer's — sit underneath this current grouping: a restaurant serving liquor with a meal is the dining-room case inside the age-restricted service licence, and a hotel bar is the beverage-room case inside the general service licence. The LGCA's current pages state the fees by the age-restricted and general groups, not by the older class names, so this guide quotes the current fees and does not carry the older per-class fees.

Retail licences cover liquor stores, specialty wine stores, and retail beer vendors. A retail beer vendor licence is available only to hotel operators, and the hotel must have a set number of rentable guest rooms: at least 40 if the hotel is in Winnipeg or Brandon, at least 20 in a municipality of 8,000 people or more, at least 10 in a municipality of between 2,500 and 8,000 people, or at least 4 in a municipality of fewer than 2,500 people. The beer vendor must be located in the hotel, in a building on the same land as the hotel, or on adjacent land so the hotel and beer vendor operate as a single establishment. A retail beer vendor can only sell product purchased from Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.

A manufacturer's licence is for a business that makes beer, wine, or spirits in Manitoba. Making the product is not the same as selling it: if you want to sell your product to the public to take home, or serve it to be consumed on the premises, you must also apply for a retail endorsement or a liquor service licence. A manufacturer may also hold other types of liquor service licences at the same premises, and must then follow the terms and conditions of each, including hours of operation and food or entertainment requirements.

Who can apply

Before you apply, make sure you meet the LGCA's two starting conditions: you are an individual, partnership, or corporation authorized to do business in Manitoba, and you are the owner of the business and have a "valid interest" in the property where the establishment will be located — that is, you own it or hold a lease on it. Application fees are non-refundable, so check these two points before you pay.

The application, stage by stage

The LGCA runs licence applications in stages. A stage must be complete before the application can move to the next stage. You are notified when you move to the next stage and told what must be submitted to complete that stage. At any stage, incomplete applications are returned, and failing to provide a complete application can lead to your entire application being withdrawn with no refund of the application fee.

  1. Complete the Initial Application form. The form is the LGCA's commercial licence application. Send the completed form by email to licence@lgcamb.ca, or by mail to Commercial Licensing, 1055 Milt Stegall Drive, Winnipeg MB R3G 0Z6.
  2. Attach corporate documents. Include corporate documents such as articles of incorporation, the file summary, and registers, including at least one document that identifies the principals — the officers, directors, and shareholders.
  3. Pay the non-refundable application fee. The fee is $1,000 for an age-restricted liquor service licence and $500 for a general liquor service licence, a retail beer vendor licence, or a manufacturer's licence.
  4. Work through the stages as the LGCA directs. Submit what each stage asks for, when it asks for it. Do not assume the file is moving while a stage is waiting on you.
  5. Clear the background investigation. The LGCA conducts background investigations on all applications as part of the licensing process. Failing to disclose complete and relevant information results in a more detailed investigation, longer processing time, and the possible denial of a licence. Investigations that include criminal charges, bankruptcies, and civil proceedings do not automatically result in the denial of a licence — but undisclosed information does slow the file down.
  6. Clear the public notice step, where it applies. Public notice is required for liquor service licence and retail beer vendor licence applications, and the notice must include the hours of operation permitted under the licence. Public objections can affect processing times.

While you go through the licensing process, your establishment can be open, but no liquor can be kept on the premises, sold, or served until you are licensed. Do not stock the bar or open the beer vendor until the licence is in hand.

MyLGCA and what it does not cover

MyLGCA is the LGCA's online portal. You can apply for social occasion permits (liquor permits), social occasion raffles, charitable raffles, bingos, and breakopen licences online through MyLGCA, and you can apply for organization eligibility through it. A MyLGCA account lets you save drafts, view the status of your applications, see your application and licence history, and apply for new licences and permits, and it is free to create.

MyLGCA does not take commercial liquor licence applications. Those go in on the Initial Application form by email or mail, as described above. If you are planning a one-off event where liquor is sold or served, that is a social occasion permit through MyLGCA, not a commercial licence.

What it costs

These are the fees in the Licensing and Appeals Regulation (Manitoba Regulation 63/2014, in effect since September 1, 2023) and on the LGCA's current licence pages:

  • Application fee (non-refundable): age-restricted liquor service licence $1,000; general liquor service licence $500; retail beer vendor licence $500; manufacturer's licence $500; sacramental wine vendor licence $500.
  • Annual fee: age-restricted liquor service licence $1,000; general liquor service licence $500; liquor store licence $1,000; specialty wine store licence $1,000; retail beer vendor licence $500 per store.
  • Manufacturer's licence: no annual fee. A retail endorsement on a manufacturer's licence carries an annual fee of $500.

Check the fee on the LGCA page for your licence class before you pay. The regulation sets the fees, and the LGCA pages repeat them; if the two ever disagree, the regulation is the authority.

Buying, selling, or changing a licensed business

Liquor licences cannot be transferred. Anyone wanting a new licence, buying a business that previously held a licence, or adding another licence must apply for a new liquor licence. If you are buying a licensed restaurant, bar, hotel, or brewery, budget for a fresh application — including the non-refundable fee, the background investigation, and the staged process — and do not plan to serve liquor on the previous owner's licence. Changes to a licence, such as a change in the licence holder's circumstances, are handled through the LGCA's approval process, and the regulation requires at least 10 days' notice in writing for some changes.

Mistakes that slow an application down

The delays the LGCA names are avoidable. Applying before you hold a valid interest in the property wastes a non-refundable fee. Leaving information out of the application triggers a more detailed investigation and longer processing, and can lead to the whole application being withdrawn. Waiting on municipal, provincial, or federal approvals without chasing them stalls the file, since the LGCA lists those approvals as a factor in processing times. And opening the bar or stocking liquor before the licence is issued is not a shortcut — no liquor can be kept on the premises, sold, or served until you are licensed.

Figures this guide does not state

  • A fixed processing time. No processing time is stated on the LGCA pages or in the regulation, so none is printed. The LGCA lists four factors that affect processing time: municipal, provincial, or federal approvals; further investigation of information provided; public objections; and proposals that are unique or new to the Manitoba market.
  • A public-notice posting period. The regulation requires public notice for liquor service and retail beer vendor applications and sets what the notice must contain, but no number of days is stated on the LGCA pages, so none is printed.
  • Dining-room and beverage-room fees as separate figures. The LGCA's current pages and the current regulation state fees by the age-restricted and general service-licence groups ($1,000 and $500). Older per-class figures from before the September 1, 2023 regulation are not carried here.
  • Municipal approval fees and timelines. A municipal business licence or municipal approval is part of the approvals the LGCA waits on, but its cost and timing are set by the municipality, not the LGCA, and are not printed here.

Related guides

Getting a liquor licence in Manitoba, in five steps

  1. Pick the licence class that fits the businessA liquor service licence for serving on site, a retail licence for selling to take home, or a manufacturer's licence for making beer, wine, or spirits.
  2. Check you can applyYou must be an individual, partnership, or corporation authorized to do business in Manitoba, and you must own the business and hold a valid interest in the property, by owning it or holding a lease.
  3. File the Initial Application and the feeSend the completed Initial Application form with corporate documents and the non-refundable application fee to the LGCA by email or mail.
  4. Clear each stage in turnThe LGCA runs the application in stages. A stage must be complete before the application moves to the next stage, and the LGCA tells you what each stage needs.
  5. Pass the background investigation and the public notice stepThe LGCA investigates every application. Liquor service and retail beer vendor applications are subject to public notice, and objections can slow the file down.

Questions people ask

Who issues liquor licences in Manitoba?

The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA). It issues liquor service licences, retail liquor licences, and manufacturer's licences under The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act. Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries is the supplier, not the regulator: a retail beer vendor, for example, can only sell product purchased from Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.

What liquor licence classes exist in Manitoba?

The Act provides for liquor service licences, retail liquor licences, and manufacturer's licences. On its current pages the LGCA groups service licences into two kinds: an age-restricted liquor service licence for businesses whose activities are appropriate for minors, such as restaurants, sports and recreation facilities, and hair salons; and a general liquor service licence for businesses focused on activities intended for adults, such as bars, nightclubs, live entertainment venues, and casinos. The older class names in the Act and regulation — dining room, beverage room, retail, and manufacturer's — sit underneath those two service-licence groups and the retail and manufacturer's licences.

How much does a Manitoba liquor licence cost?

The application fee is $1,000 for an age-restricted liquor service licence and $500 for a general liquor service licence, a retail beer vendor licence, or a manufacturer's licence, and the fee is non-refundable. The annual fee is $1,000 for an age-restricted liquor service licence and $500 for a general liquor service licence. A retail beer vendor pays $500 a year per store, a liquor store or specialty wine store pays $1,000 a year, and a manufacturer's licence has no annual fee.

How do I apply for a liquor licence in Manitoba?

Complete the LGCA's Initial Application form and send it by email to licence@lgcamb.ca or by mail to Commercial Licensing, 1055 Milt Stegall Drive, Winnipeg MB R3G 0Z6, with the non-refundable application fee and corporate documents, including at least one document that identifies the principals, such as officers, directors, and shareholders. MyLGCA, the LGCA's online portal, handles social occasion permits, charitable raffles, bingos, breakopen licences, and organization eligibility — not commercial liquor licence applications, which go in on the Initial Application form.

Can I buy a business and take over its liquor licence?

No. Liquor licences cannot be transferred in Manitoba. Anyone who wants a new licence, who buys a business that previously held a licence, or who adds another licence, must apply for a new liquor licence.

How long does a Manitoba liquor licence application take?

The LGCA gives no fixed processing time on the LGCA pages. The application runs in stages, and a stage must be complete before the application moves to the next one. Processing can be slowed by the time needed for municipal, provincial, or federal approvals, by further investigation of anything in the application, by public objections, and by proposals that are new to the Manitoba market. While you go through the process, your establishment can be open, but no liquor can be kept on the premises, sold, or served until you are licensed.

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