How to Start in Canada

How to Start a Brewery in British Columbia

Start a brewery in British Columbia: get the federal brewer's licence first, then the LCRB manufacturer licence, sign the LDB sales agreement, and pass the final inspection.

Written November 8, 2026 · 11 min read

Applies in: British Columbia

The short answer

Get the federal brewer's licence first, then the British Columbia manufacturer licence, then the Liquor Distribution Branch sales agreement — and brew nothing for sale until all three are in place. In British Columbia, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) issues the manufacturer licence that lets you make beer, and the Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) authorizes your sales inside the province through a signed sales agreement. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) issues the federal brewer's licence under the Excise Act, and the LCRB requires it to be in hand before the final inspection. This guide walks the British Columbia path only. The national brewery guide covers the federal licence and the other provinces in general terms; this guide does not repeat it.

Step 1: Get the federal brewer's licence first

A brewer's licence is required to manufacture beer, malt liquor, wort, or yeast, and a licence is required for each physical business location where any manufacturing process takes place, brewing equipment is kept or used, or brewing products are kept or stored. That is the CRA's rule in Circular ED200-1, and it applies before you brew a single commercial batch.

For each physical location, complete Form L1, Application for a Brewer's Licence, Form E110, Description of Premises, and Form E111, Description of Vessels and Utensils. You must also submit a floor plan with references to the areas described on Form E110 and the equipment listed on Form E111, a business overview describing the business, location, activities, products, and package sizes, an operating plan describing day-to-day operations, manufacturing processes, the point of production where excise duty is declared, and 24-month production projections in hectolitres, a sales plan outlining distribution channels and sales prices, and a financial plan with start-up costs, sources of funding, and 24-month projections. A partnership also submits its partnership agreement; a corporation submits its certificate of incorporation or amalgamation.

Submit the forms electronically through "Submit documents" in CRA My Business Account, or by mail to your regional excise office. You must provide financial security in the form of a surety bond before a licence is issued. If the application is approved, the CRA issues the brewer's licence and charges a licence fee of $51.10. The licence is valid for one year from April 1 to March 31, is automatically renewed, and the $51.10 annual fee is due each year by March 31.

Start this application early. It sets the record-keeping routine for the whole business: you must file returns and pay excise duties on time, keep adequate books and records, and give CRA excise officers access to your premises for inspection or audit.

Step 2: Apply for the LCRB manufacturer licence

A manufacturer licence allows you to make wine, beer, or spirits. For a brewery, the LCRB states that breweries can manufacture beer and beer coolers, malt-based seltzers, and sugar-based seltzers. The licence also covers a dedicated sampling area for the public, an on-site store to sell packaged products, guided tours with samples, sales to licensees through your manufacturing agreement with the LDB, and marketing to licensees and the public.

Before you start, you need a CRA business number (the first nine digits of your 15-digit GST/HST registration number) and a Business BCeID to access the online licensing portal. Apply early to avoid delays.

Apply in the Liquor and Cannabis Licensing Portal. Your application must include the required business documents for your business type (sole proprietorship, private corporation, partnership, public corporation, or society or non-profit corporation), Personal History Summary forms, one scaled floor plan, proposed signage, a site plan, and payment. The Personal History Summary asks for supporting documents where required, including a police information check (criminal record check), a Canadian criminal record and judicial matters check, a statutory declaration, and a driver's abstract.

The floor plan must show the on-site store and sampling area, entrances and stairs, and equipment. The site map must show the buildings and their uses, other liquor licences and businesses operating at the same site, vineyards, orchards, crops, or bee hives where applicable, and roads and parking areas. You must own the equipment or rent it under a lease of at least one year.

The application fee for a brewery is $550, plus a first-year licence fee prorated by the months left until March 31, up to $1,100. Refunds may be available if the application has not started processing, the branch made an error, the application was submitted in error, or you overpaid. A local government or First Nation rejecting an application is not grounds for a refund.

Step 3: Choose your endorsements

An endorsement lets you use your facility for different purposes. You can add an on-site store, a lounge, a special event area, or a picnic area to the licence. The on-site store endorsement is required for a market authorization to sell liquor at artisan, farmers', and annual markets.

The on-site store, lounge, and special event area endorsements need approval from your local government or Indigenous Nation office, so they mean longer processing times. Picnic area endorsements are free. Except for the picnic area, endorsements increase the renewal fee of your manufacturer licence. Ask your municipality about its input early, because a lounge or store that the local government will not support cannot be added later without a fresh round of approvals.

Step 4: Get Approval in Principle and sign the LDB sales agreement

The LCRB reviews your application and, if you are eligible, issues Approval in Principle. The LDB is notified at the same time and works with you to set up a manufacturer sales agreement.

The LDB process runs in four steps, as set out on the LDB's step-by-step page. First, you submit the manufacturing licence application package to the LCRB, and the LCRB emails a copy of the applicable documents to the LDB's Industry Program Coordinator. The LDB reviews the package and sends you an Information Request Questionnaire by email. The LDB then determines your classification. There are six classifications: Land Based Winery, Commercial Winery, Brewery, Brewpub, Craft Distillery, and Commercial Distillery. Each classification has its own sales agreement, which determines how you may sell and distribute products in British Columbia. A brewery is classified as a Brewery; it is classified as a Brewpub only if the brewery serves beer from its adjacent licensed liquor primary establishment through a pipeline connected to the brewery beer tanks.

Second, once the LCRB issues Approval in Principle, the LDB emails you an Approval in Principle package with a notification letter, the sales agreement for pre-signature, and instructions on acquiring a BCeID, which is mandatory to report sales back to the LDB. All applicants except Land Based Wineries and Craft Distilleries must also sign a Pre-Authorized Debit Agreement, which is part of the net markup payment remittance model. Review the agreement and return the signed copy by email. Once the LDB confirms your classification and receives the signed agreement, it notifies the LCRB.

Step 5: Build, then pass the final inspection

When your construction is complete, your equipment is in place, and you are ready to begin manufacturing, contact your local Liquor Inspector for a final inspection. At this stage, you must have your federal excise licence in hand — the LCRB states this plainly, and the LDB's process confirms the final inspection comes after the sales agreement is signed.

If the inspection goes well, you pay the prorated annual licence fee and your manufacturer licence is issued, with an expiry date of March 31. The licence is renewed every year. Do not plan a launch date around the inspection: construction delays, equipment delivery, and the inspector's availability all sit outside your control, and the licence cannot be issued until the inspection passes.

Step 6: Register your products and start selling

Once the LCRB issues the manufacturing licence, you may begin manufacturing. Before products can be sold, the LDB assigns you a unique store number to report sales and a supplier number to be used for all product registrations, and sends a Final Approval package with the Final Approval Letter, the Product Registration Information Letter, and the endorsed sales agreement. Products must be registered, priced, and activated before you can sell them in British Columbia.

Once you begin selling directly to wholesale and hospitality customers in British Columbia (except for BC Liquor Stores), those sales must be reported using the LDB's Direct Sales Web Reporting application. Licensed manufacturers may also be subject to audits by the LDB to check compliance with the sales agreement. Keep your production, sales, and excise records in one routine from the first batch: the LDB audit and the CRA excise audit both examine the same underlying records.

What a brewery licence costs in British Columbia

These are the figures the official pages state. The LCRB application page lists a $550 application fee for a brewery, plus a first-year licence fee prorated by the months remaining until March 31, up to $1,100. The federal brewer's licence carries a separate annual fee of $51.10.

Renewal fees changed on May 1, 2026, for the first time since 2010, under LCRB Bulletin 26-01. For a brewery with no endorsement, the renewal fee is a minimum of $1,430 for production volume up to 9,167 hectolitres, $0.13 per hectolitre for production volume between 9,168 and 50,000 hectolitres, and $0.16 per hectolitre for production volume over 50,000 hectolitres. With endorsements, add $143 a year for a manufacturer on-site store endorsement or special event area endorsement, and $429 a year for a lounge endorsement. The updated fee applies to licences expiring on or after May 1, 2026. No other licensing fee categories changed, and the bulletin introduces no annual indexing.

Those are licence fees only. They do not include the brewhouse, fermenters, packaging line, cold storage, lease, municipal fees, or the surety bond for the federal licence. Price those from quotes for your brewery.

Figures this guide does not state

The official pages do not state a total processing time from application to licence, so this guide gives none. The LCRB bulletin gives assignment targets only: complete Liquor Primary, Manufacturer, and change applications are assigned to an analyst within 20 business days of receipt, and applications requiring an occupant load stamp receive a completeness decision within 5 business days. They also do not state municipal business licence or building permit fees, which vary by municipality, so this guide gives none. Confirm the first-year prorated licence fee with the LCRB before you budget: the LCRB application page lists it as prorated up to $1,100, while the May 2026 bulletin sets the renewal minimum at $1,430, and the two figures cover different years of the licence.

Related guides

Starting a brewery in British Columbia, in six steps

  1. Get the federal brewer's licence firstApply to the Canada Revenue Agency with Forms L1, E110, and E111, plus a surety bond. The annual fee is $51.10 and the licence runs April 1 to March 31.
  2. Apply for the LCRB manufacturer licenceApply in the Liquor and Cannabis Licensing Portal with a Business BCeID, your CRA business number, Personal History Summary forms, a scaled floor plan, a site map, and your sign. The application fee is $550.
  3. Choose your endorsementsAn on-site store, lounge, special event area, or picnic area. The first three need local government approval and take longer.
  4. Get Approval in Principle and sign the LDB sales agreementThe LCRB notifies the Liquor Distribution Branch, which classifies you as a Brewery and sends the sales agreement for signature.
  5. Pass the final inspectionYour federal excise licence must be in hand before the final inspection. Pay the prorated annual fee and the licence is issued, expiring March 31.
  6. Register your products and start sellingThe LDB assigns a store number and a supplier number. Products must be registered, priced, and activated before they can be sold in British Columbia.

Questions people ask

Do I need a federal licence before I apply to the LCRB in British Columbia?

You need the federal brewer's licence from the Canada Revenue Agency before the final LCRB inspection, not before you start the LCRB application. Apply for the federal licence early, because the LCRB will not finish your file without it: the LCRB states that you must have a federal excise licence prior to the final inspection. The federal application uses [Form L1, Application for a Brewer's Licence](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/technical-information/excise-duty/excise-duty-circulars/ed200-1-licensing-requirements-manufacturers-beer-malt-liquor-wort-yeast-malt-products.html), plus Forms E110 and E111, a floor plan, a business overview, an operating plan, a sales plan, a financial plan, and a surety bond.

How much does a manufacturer licence cost for a brewery in British Columbia?

The LCRB charges a $550 application fee for a brewery manufacturer licence, plus a first-year licence fee prorated by the months left until March 31, up to $1,100. Renewal is different: since May 1, 2026 the renewal fee for a brewery with no endorsement is a minimum of $1,430 for production up to 9,167 hectolitres, then $0.13 per hectolitre for production between 9,168 and 50,000 hectolitres, and $0.16 per hectolitre above 50,000 hectolitres. Endorsements add to the renewal fee: $143 a year for an on-site store or special event area endorsement, and $429 a year for a lounge endorsement.

What is the LDB sales agreement, and when do I sign it?

The Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) authorizes sales of liquor by British Columbia manufacturers inside the province, and every authorized manufacturer must have a signed sales agreement with the LDB. You do not apply for it separately: once the LCRB issues Approval in Principle for your manufacturer licence, the LDB is notified and sends you an agreement package for pre-signature, including the sales agreement for your classification. A brewery is classified as a Brewery. Once the LDB confirms your classification and receives the signed agreement, it notifies the LCRB.

Can a brewery in British Columbia sell beer on site?

Yes, with the right endorsements on the manufacturer licence. The base licence covers production, a sampling area, and guided tours with samples. An on-site store endorsement lets you sell packaged products to the public, and a lounge or special event area endorsement lets you sell drinks by the glass on site. The on-site store, lounge, and special event area endorsements need approval from your local government or Indigenous Nation office, which takes longer. An on-site store endorsement is also required for a market authorization to sell at artisan or farmers' markets.

Do I have to own the brewing equipment?

You must own the equipment or rent it under a lease of at least one year. The LCRB states this for breweries, wineries, and distilleries alike, and your application must include a scaled floor plan showing the equipment, the sampling area, and the store, plus a site map showing the buildings, roads, and parking areas.

How long does a manufacturer licence application take in British Columbia?

The LCRB does not publish a total processing time. Its November 2025 bulletin states that complete Liquor Primary, Manufacturer, and change applications are assigned to an analyst within 20 business days of receipt, and that applications requiring an occupant load stamp receive a completeness decision within 5 business days. The full timeline still depends on local government input for endorsements, the LDB sales agreement, construction, and the final inspection, so apply early and do not sign a lease that depends on a fixed opening date.

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