A Los Angeles restaurant or bar liquor license takes a median of 67 days from application to issue at California ABC, inside the 55 to 90 days ABC tells new applicants to expect: half of the 23 LA County applications PourWire tracked since July 2026 were issued in 54 to 72 days, and 149 more are still pending. Look one up by name, address or license number in ABC's License Lookup, or read ABC's daily licensing reports, which list new applications and status changes by county.
| Median, application to issued license | 67 days |
| Middle half of issued applications | 54 to 72 days |
| Fastest and slowest we saw | 36 and 89 days |
| Issued applications measured | 23 |
| Tracked applications still pending | 149, median 55 days so far |
Types 41, 47 and 48 in Los Angeles County, applications PourWire has tracked since July 2026, matched by ABC license number to the issued license (as of ). Applications that are still pending are not in the median, so the full average runs somewhat longer.
Most of that time is ABC's 30-day public notice period and the investigation that follows. The venue usually opens after the license issues, so these weeks are when the owner is choosing a POS, insurance, distributors and equipment.
| Type | License | What it allows |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | On-Sale Beer & Wine, Eating Place | Beer and wine at a bona fide restaurant. The most common first license. Tracked by PourWire. |
| 47 | On-Sale General, Eating Place | Spirits, wine and beer at a restaurant. The full bar. Tracked by PourWire. |
| 48 | On-Sale General, Public Premises | Spirits, wine and beer with no food requirement. Bars and nightclubs. Tracked by PourWire. |
| 58 | Caterer's Permit | Serving at catered events away from the licensed premises. |
| 20 | Off-Sale Beer & Wine | Beer and wine to go. Convenience and grocery stores. |
| 21 | Off-Sale General | Liquor stores and markets selling spirits to go. |
180 Los Angeles liquor license applications on PourWire, 47 filed in the last 30 days, newest . See also restaurants opening soon in Los Angeles.
Every new application goes through ABC's 30-day public notice period, when neighbors and police can protest, followed by an ABC investigation of the premises and the applicant. Applications that draw a protest take longer than the median.
Search ABC's License Lookup by business name, owner, address or license number; a pending application shows status Pending. For a whole county, use ABC's daily licensing reports of new applications and status changes.
Type 41 is on-sale beer and wine at an eating place, the usual first restaurant license. Type 47 is on-sale general at an eating place (the full bar). Type 48 is on-sale general for public premises, a bar with no food requirement.
The ABC records are public, so you can check them yourself every week. PourWire pulls them daily, matches each application to a venue and its city permits, estimates the opening window and emails you the new ones with the owner's name and contact. Applications filed in the last 30 days are on the paid feed.