Changes to the Establishment Name
If the name of your establishment or corporation changes, the AGCO must be notified. Licensees may only operate under the name that appears on their liquor licence.
If the licensee is a corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship, its business trade (operating) name must be registered with the Companies and Personal Property Security Branch. Also note that corporations must file updated information with respect to officers and directors of a corporation with the Companies and Personal Property Security Branch on a regular basis. For information and forms, please see the Ontario.ca, Central Forms Repository. Forms must be forwarded to Companies and Personal Property Security Branch for processing.
All alcohol-related transactions with the AGCO can now be completed online through the iAGCO web-based portal. For more information, please visit the iAGCO Information page.
New licence term options are now available when applying for and renewing licences or authorizations. Licensees are now able to select a two or four year term duration, with fees payable to match the length of the term. For a description of the new fee structure, please visit the Alcohol Licensing Fees page.
Changes to Licensed Areas
Licensees with valid liquor sales licences may apply to the AGCO for additional licensed areas and/or building alterations to an existing licence.
Please note that an application is not required for the following changes to a licensed establishment (although you must advise the AGCO through the iAGCO online portal within 30 days of making those changes marked with an asterisk):
- Change to décor
- Installation or relocation of doors*
- Creation of openings to existing walls/partitions that separate the licensed and unlicensed area, providing after the change, the licensed area is still readily distinguishable from areas to which the licence does not apply*
- Removal of wall openings, arches, etc. to combine two or more areas into one area*
- Installation or removal of windows
- Installation or removal of weather breaks, buffets, or server stations
For all other alterations such as adding licensed areas or increasing seating capacity in existing licensed areas, an application must be submitted.
Public notification is required if the application is to licence an outdoor space such as a patio and/or to increase the licensed capacity of the establishment (indoor or outdoor) by more than 25%. For more information on public notification, and to view current notices of liquor sales licence applications, please visit Liquor Licences in Your Community.
Important Update:
To support businesses as they work to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and if permitted to open for on-site consumption, liquor sales licensees, including premises that are docked boats, may temporarily extend or add a temporary physical extension of their licensed premises until 3:00 a.m. on January 1, 2023.
For more information about the requirements under the AGCO’s 2021-22 patio policy, please see Annex B of the Information Bulletin: Liquor Licence & Control Act, 2019 Framework Now in Effect.
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Removing a Condition on a Liquor Licence
If you have a condition(s) on your liquor sales licence and circumstances have changed, you may apply to have a condition removed or altered.
Depending on the manner in which the condition was added to the licence, you will be required to apply to either the AGCO or the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT).
A licensee may apply to the Registrar of Alcohol, Gaming and Racing (Registrar) to have a condition on his/her licence removed or changed if:
- The condition was imposed on an existing licence by the Registrar with the consent of the licensee pursuant to section 14(1)(a) of the Liquor Licence Act.
- The condition was imposed on the licence by the Registrar as part of the risk-based licensing process.
Please note that a change in circumstances must exist in order for a removal or change of a condition to be considered. The licensee must also agree to pay any advertising costs incurred should the change need to be advertised to the general public.
A licensee may apply to LAT to have a condition on his/her licence removed or changed if:
- The condition was imposed by the Board of the AGCO or a panel of LAT after a hearing or by the Registrar with the consent of the licensee/applicant during the application process.
- The licensee must consult the LAT website for the applicable forms and process.
Closing a Business
As required under Regulation 719 under the Liquor Licence Act, unless you are transferring your liquor sales licence, you must surrender the licence back to the Registrar of Alcohol, Gaming and Racing when you stop operating your business.
You can initiate the voluntary surrender of your liquor licence from your iAGCO account, by:
- going to the “Request a Change” section on the main menu
- selecting the liquor licence you would like to surrender
- selecting the voluntary surrender option from the “Type of Change” drop-down to initiate the application.